:.::-:,,P''m:^ 


;;:u':;i|| 




SR 



Jaa 



Author 



Title 



Imprint. 



l«— t737!J-8 4* 



< 



\ 






'^ 



o 



g^iiiiis lit 3 4,isiii 



-ON 



POULTRY RAtSING. 



PUBLISHED BY 

THe F'anciers' I^eview, Chathcim^, N. Y 
PRICE. 23 CENTS. 



ENTKKED ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONSRBSS, IN THE YEAR EIGHTEE:^ HUNDRED AND NINETY- ONE, BY 

THE FANCIERS' REVIEW, 

IN THE 07FICE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS, AT WASHINGTON, D. C. 



FIVE HUNDRED 



()\JtSl\OHS 



AND 



AHS\lltRS\ 



ON 



Poultr^^ I^aisin^. 



' y^ \ o^ji\sjr-'^- 



A Book of Practical, and Authentic Information in the Form of 

Questions and Answers on Various Subjects, as Feed and 

Care, Diseases, Eaas, Incubators, Buildings, Etc. 



With a Cl^apter or} Turkeys, Geese & Dacks. 



SEP 7 1891 






CHATHAM, N. Y. 
Tl-^e Fcinciers' I^eview. - *X.<^ 

1891. 



SF4^1 



QONTENTS. 



I. Feeding and Care. 

II. Diseases. 
III. Eggs. 

lY. Incubators. 

Y. Buildings. 

YL Miscellaneous Queries. 

YII. TurKeys, DucKs and. Geese. 



Introduction. 



In presenting this book to the poultry fanciers of America, we 
make no claim for orig-inality. We have collected the questions 
and answers from various sources believed to be authoritative, and 
while many of the cjuestions with the answers have been re- written 
and condensed, in the main they are as we find them in the columns 
of the poultry press and poultry books. We are especially indebted 
to the following- named journals: "The Poultry Keeper," edited by 
Mr. P. H. Jacobs; the " Farm Poultry," edited by Mr. P. H. Hunter; 
the " Poultry Monthl}^" edited by Mr. B. Holmes, Jr.; the " Poultry 
World," edited by Mr. H. H. Stoddard; the "Fanciers' Journal," 
edited by Mr. J. H. Drevenstedt; the "Fanciers' Monthty," edited 
by Mr. C. H. Harker and the "Fanciers' Review." Also to Felch's 
" Poultry Culture " and Stoddard's " Poultry Diseases." They are 
all recognized authorities on poultry matters and we gladly accredit 
them with whatever of good, practical " poultry sense " there may 
be in the book. 



Nor have we attempted to ask all the questions that might be 
asked by those who are launching out in the poultry business. We 
do not claim to have exhausted an exhaustless subject. It would 
require more pages than are found herewith to ask and answer in 
completeness all the questions that might arise in this connection. 
However, we have selected about five hundred of them and we 
present them to the fraternity of amateur poultrymen, particularly, 
in the hope that they may find in them much of practical worth. 

The Publisher. 



Si 



CHAPTER I. 



FEEDING RND CARE. 



/. Carhoiinvfoiis Foods Please give a 

list of tlie foods which are uarijjuaceous and of 
those which are iiitroarenoiisi. Which of the 
above are for bone and feathers and which are 
for fat and muscle? 

Carbonaceous foods are the grains, with 

fat of any kind, as well as potatoes and 

other starchy foods. Nitrogenous foods 

are milk, meat, beans, clover, and the 

grasses. The nitrogenous form bone, 

feathers, and muscle. The carbonaceous 

form fat. All foods, however, are to a 

certain extent, both carbonaceous and 

nitrogenous. 



2. tlreeti Oat.s aiitl Ryt'. — Is green oats 
as good as clover hay for liens, and what time 
ought it to be cut. Is rye good also. I believe 
if it was cut when green and well cured, it v.-ould 
make a good feed in winter for hens. 

When j^oung grass, rye, or oats are cut 

before making much growth it is vv-atery 

and contains but little nutrition, too much 

of such food causes the hens to have 

.■^cours. Many persons have been dissap- 

pointed in confining their fowls on young 

rye as an exclusive food. It is excellent 

as a dietary food, but all very young grass 

is mostly water. We do not advise cutting 

such for winter use, but if oats are grown 

and the crop cut when the grain is in the 

milky stage, the nutritive matter, on its 

way to fill out the grain, will be arrested in 

the stalk, so that, when cured, the whole 

stalk (with the grain) if cured, stored in 

the barn, and cut fine with a cutter, will 

make excellent food for the hens. The 

oats should be cut green, just as the seed 

heads begin to form. 



:i. Sitifui'-Cinic Srol, i^tc. — What proper- 
ties are claimed in sugar-cane seed, and with 
what grain does itcompai'e best— wheat or cornV 
Will sweet skimmed milk answer theiilaceof 
fresh meat for young chicks? How miu-h milk 
should I give to'lOO chicks per day? 

It approaches more to wheat than to 
corn. We have no formula of its ingredi- 
ents at present, but it is more nitrogenous 
than corn. The skimmed milk will not 
take the place of meat, but is excellent. 
Give any amount they will drink of the 
milk. 



4. fJiifiiKj (Hill J'^ffiUnt/ C?o(V'*'. — V/heu 
should clover be cut. and do you make it in liay 
or pack it away in boxes while green? Do yoii 
steam it before feeding? 

Clover should be cut when the blossoms 

begin to turn brown. It is then at its best 

with the seed-making material stored up in 

the stalk. It can be siloed in boxes or 

barrels, but probably the most convenient 

way of keeping it is to make it into hay, 

and when wanted to feed run it through 

a hay-cutter or clover-cutter, cutting it 

into about half-inch lengths, and steam in 

a closed vessel. Siloed clover is no doubt 

better if it is perfectly siloed, but we 

would advise any one inexperienced in 

siloing to experiment with a small c[iian- 

tity first, making hay his chief reliance. 

Some poultrymen fill a huge keltic vviih 

clover, pour on a couple of buckets of hot 

water, and having a slow fire under it to 

keep up the steaming and bring to a boil, 

then stirring in meal and shorts to make a 

mash. Excellent results are also ( blained 

by simply cutting up the clover into a 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



iirkiii (jr tub, pouring boiling hot water 
onto it, letting it steam (covered closely) all 
night. This, fed clear, is very like the 
grass biddy gets when running at large, 
and is an excellent green food. 



a. J''ce<Iin(/ Gltiss. — How about feeding 
glass lo poultry? 

The same answer as the advice Punch 
gave to people about to marry, — "Don't !" 
Glass has terribly keen edges sometimes, 
and a chicken's gizzard may be cut by it 
so that he dies. Broken crockery is far pre- 
ferable, and contains elements which the 
fowls love. Feed broken crockery or 
pounded bricks, but not glass. 



«. Jiiiftcriuilk Is the buttermilk bene- 

t'lC i'l o ■ jujiirious to poultry? Also sweet milk? 
If not i.'^jiirious will all they want hurt them? 

It is excellent. Give them all they wish 

of fresh milk, sour milk, buttermilk, or in 

any ftnin. 

7. Povl; Sv}-<ips. — Are cracklings or pork 
sci'aits good for fowls? 

They contain usually about 30 per cent. 

of fat, and we do not recommend them. 



H. Soi'ifhitin Sevil. — Is sorghum seed good 
for poultry. If so how much should be fed? 

It i.-, excellent. Feed the same quantity 
as of corn. 

it. (Uivii l^'odiU'v.—lf^ cured coru fodder, 
cut half inch long, as good forchickeus as clover 
hay ? 

If scalded, yes, to a certain extent, but 
not wholly, as clover ccntains more nitro- 
gen. 



11. Beans for Fowls.— Are Red Kiduej' 
beans cooked and mixed with ground feed good 
for hens that lay? 

They are a good food but somewhat 

fattening. Should feed them moderately. 

Are they not an expensive food ? Cannot 

you sell the beans at a good price and buy 

a better food, as wheat, in the place of itV 



10. iUivrots, Coal Aslics, Etc.—krn car- 
rots godd as hay feed for hens, either boiled, 
mashed and mixed with wheat middlings, or 
should they be chopped fine and fed raw? Is it 
a good plan to kee|) a supply of coal ashes 
before liens so they can ijick them, eac all they 
desire, and ivallow in iheiir' 

Carrots are a good vegetable food either 

cooked or raw. There is no need to chop 

them fine to feed raw. Split them in 

halves and the fowls will eat the meat all 

out of them. Use coal ashes, only don't 

throw them down coarse clinkers and all. 

The fov.'ls will eat a great deal of the 

coarse stuff and dust in the ashes. 



12. Meal Scraps. — Are the meat scraps 
whei-e tallow is pressed out good for chickens? 
or is that good where lard is pressed out by the 
butchers? 

As the grease is usually very thoroughly 

extracted the scraps may not contain ^ 

m.uch fat. They can be used if not fed in 

excess. We do not recommend them. 



IS. lii'ef Blood Is beef blood good for 

chickens, and how is it best prepared? 

Beef blood is excellent, being rich _ in 

nitrogen, and nearly approaches the white 

of the eggs in composition. It may be 

thickened with a mixture of meal and 

bran, put in a bag and boiled, or it 

may be mixed, if fresh, with the regular 

soft food. Feed it only twice or three 

times a week, as it will cause bowel disease 

if too much is given. 



14. Hotr Often to JFt'e^l.-'^VouU >ou ad- 
vise the feeding of fowls three times a day, 
when they are enclosed in yards, during the 
winter months, wlvn the days are so short? 

Yes. We advise feeding three times a 
day all the year. The fov.-ls are less likely 
to get starving hungry and then overeat if 
they have three meals a day. Another 
advantage is that all are likely to get a 
share, as none will be so selfish as to drive 
a weak sister av/ay (she may crowd her 
one side, but v^fon't persistently fight her 
off) where there is not a long interval 
between meals. Another (and great) ad- 
vantage is that it favors feeding a variety. 

/.I. Sim Tloirir Seed. 1.^ Ave sun tlmver 
st>eds good i'eed for poultry? 

Yes. Feed a pint, three times a week, 
to 12 hens, and they will be found excel- 
lent. Would not advise feeding them in 
warm weather. They are very rich in 
fats. 



Five Hundred Questioks and Answers. 



Ht. Vef/efablex for Tl'hitcr. — I wish to 
devote a portion of my gai'den to raising some 
vegetables to feed to my poultry next winter. 
What would you advise / 

Cabbage and turnips; getting a good 
winter variety of the former, drumheads 
or sure heads; and the purple top strap 
leaf turnips. These can be sown as late 
as July, where early peas and early pota- 
toes have come out. Clover hay cut fine 
and steamed, is far superior to cabbage, 
turnips, etc. It seems to be exactly the 
thing wanted ; the cabbage, etc., being a 
makeshift. 



IT. Flaxseed Meal.—VsouXA you advise 
feeding flaxseed meal totowls which are laying? 
I fed some oil meal to them, and soon after 
they quit laying. 

We feed a little flaxseed meal, and only a 

little, — say a pint mixed into a barrel of 

meal. Probably it was fed too liberally, 

which caused the checking of laying, 

although the check may have been due to 

another cause. 



18. Hi-oom Corit Need.— Tell us whether 
broom corn seed is good for poultry or not. If 
good, how often should it be given? 

It is excellent. Feed every other day. 



by pouring boiling water upon it and 
covering over tight. This restores it to its 
fresh condition, much as it was before 
drying. It can be fed clear, for a midday 
feed, or mixed with shorts and meal in a 
mash. Some breeders cooic the clover in 
a kettle and mix in a mash as though it 
were vegetables. Any v/ay that gets the 
clover to the biddies is good. 

•i2. Bouc ilXfCf/.— Please tell me how to 
feed bone meal to the cliiekens: v.-hat propor- 
tion to feed to pullets and old hens. 

About five per cent., or a handful of 
bone meal to about five quarts of combin- 
ed meal, shorts, etc. We believe it much 
better to feed a little regularly, than to feed 
a larger quantity at one time, and then 
none for a time, for the reason that the 
fowl's system can only assimilate (take up) 
a small amount, and the excess would l)e 
lost. It is trme of many kinds of food, 
and for more kinds of an'mals than 
fowls. 



lit. FeedhKj Ten Hens.—l have ten hens, 
Laeed Wyaiidot'tes. 1 can teed them but tiiree 
times a day. — mornir.g, noon and night. What 
in your judgment sh()<a<i I feed them, and how 
much in quantity to that nimiber? 

You will probably find the plan of mash 

in the morning, barley at noon, and wheat 

at night, the best. The mash of cooked 

vegetables, a pinch of salt, corn meal, 

fine feed and shorts, with a handful of 

ground beef scrap for animal food, gives 

a very perfect ration and a variety. 



;iO. Food for iHilch-s What kind of food 

is best for young euiciis when their feathers 
begia to gfow rapidly - 

Give a little chopped lean meat, cooked, 
three times a week, with rolled oats before 
them ail the time. A small box of ground 
bone should be within access to them also. 



21. Feed.inf/ Clover //«/;/.— Plea.se tell uie 
how to feed clo\erhay? 

Clover hay should be cut fine (about 

half-inch lengths) and steamed some hours 



33. Itff.—lfi rye gor;,l to f'-ed to iioultr^-. 
and how does it compare with wheat? 

It is fully as nitrogenous as wheat, but 

not so fattening. 

24. Youiif/ Calre.s MTefit.—W'M it pay io 

use the i)i<-'at of \'o:nif.' cal'f^s for pouliry / If so, 
how should it be prepai'ed? 

It will; prepare by cooking to a broth 

and thicken with m.eal and ground oats. 



25. Fecdhif/ rimotliy Grass. — How 

aljout the use oi Tiuiochy lor Herdsgiass) as a 
greeii food for poultry in winter. It seems ^o I'e 
tender and nice, aiid not affected by frost. 
Would it be better than the steamed clover hay? 
Are turnip tops and leaves good to feed to hens? 

Yes, it would be one of the best of 

green foods, and equal to stermed 

clover hay. Yes. turnip tops are good. 

but not equal to fresh grass. 



2(i. Gr II re!.— Why is gravel recommended 
for foAvlsr 

The gravel serves as teeth in the gizzard 

and assists in grinding and pulverizing 

the food. 



FivK Hundred Ouestions and Answers 



'J7. I'op Corn.— I have a quautity of pop 
corn that 1 want to feed to fo\', Is. Do you con- 
sider it tlie proper food for laying liens, and in 
what eniidiion should it be fed to meet with 
best results? 

Pop corn is good, and at all times. 



'JS. I'crd for SittiiKj llrut:. —\\]\Vit shotild 
a hen he fed to he Kept in good conuitiou v. hen 
sitting nine weeks? 

Rather a long time, but corn is the best 

food in such cases, though the h.n should 

also have other nourishing fi.-od. 



V.9. Of'iicrtfl J'ctiHi.'t/. —Tell us hi a gene- 
ral way how to feed laying hens. 

A hen that lays needs her regular food 
and fresh drink as much as a m,an who 
labors. 'I hey require a change. Buck- 
wheat, oats, meal, and (in season) sour 
milk are all very good. Potatoes boiled 
and n'cshcd with a little salt sufficient to 
nake palatable, and some g.^avy mixed, 
are excellent, and of which they are very 
fond. W hen confined they require often 
animal food, wilh(::ut which they become 
dormant, sluggish and inactive. 



they have been deprived of it before. 
Since the charcoal thus acts as a cleanser 
to the fowl's system, it is quite valuable 
as a preventive of disease, and in this 
rispect alone it will a great deal more 
than pay fcr the cost and trouble of 
obtaining and j_reparing it. It is one of 
the best antiseptics v.-e have, so that it is 
easy to see at a glance what a great bene- 
fit it is to the- hc.'-iti; a;.d .general thrift of 
the fowls. Ash.s ircn\ v>-ood stoves, 
which ccjntain the ccal of the wood, 
ansvv'er about tho eam.e purpose that char- 
coal does. 



:iO. eiorrr 11(11/, llects, m<- Is clover 

ensilage good for laying iiens ni the winter? Is 
it better than clovei' hay cut fine and fed? Can 
it f/e fed to younp: chicks without injury, pi-o- 
vided it is sweet? Are sugar beets a good winter 
food for fowls in confiument? 

Clover ensilage is excellent for fowls in 
winter: it being more succulent than cured 
hay: it makes a better feed. Young chicks 
will receive no injury from it if fed intelli- 
gently. The beets make a very good win- 
ter relish. 

6'/. ('hfircoal.--\\ha.t are tlie benefits to 
be derived from feeding charcoal? 

One of the most valuable features of 
charcoal is that it has a very important 
cleansing influence on the fowl's system 
and is especially valuable when fed to lay- 
ing hens during the breeding season, or in 
fact, at any time of the year. They do 
not have to be forced to eat it, as many 
are led to suppose, but w^ill eat it of their 
own accord quite greedily, and seem to 
relish it, and it is really wonderful to see 
how much th'-y will devour when they 
have the opportunity, and especially when 



3''. Moiv 3litcli (iraiii. — Kow much grain 
sh<_uld be .given lo hens for dinner and supper? 

It is impossible to say. One breed, — 
for instance, Plymouth Rocks, — will eat 
twice as much as another, say Leghorns 
or Hamburgs, The only general rule is, — 
feed what will be eaten up clean and 
quickly. If any food is left in sight half 
an hour after feeding they had too much 
and should have less next lime. We give 
each pen of 15 fowls nine or ten handfuls 
at a feeding, but then, hands differ in size: 
your 14-year-old boy may give one of his 
handfuls to each bird, or 15 handfuls 
where you give 9 or dd. We must use judg- 
ment as to how much to feed, and aim to 
give just about enough without overfeed- 
ing. 



33. Feeding Chlchs. — What is the best 
feed to give j'oung chicks, say until the.y are 
four or six weeks old? Is there any danger of 
over-feeding chicks of that age, or is it jiroper 
to keep a dish cf cracked wheat or corn before 
them all the time? Is sweet milk, buttermilk or 
curds good for chicks? In fattening chickens 
for market, what kind of feeding gives the best 
results? 

Mixed food, say wheat and cracked 
corn, (as soon as they can eat it,) with 
mashed potatoes. Also a little meat three 
times a week. We do not think you can 
feed growing chicks to>3 much. The sweet 
milk, etc., is good if fresh, but must not 
be allowed to remain until a change 
occurs. Plenty of cracked corn and 
mashed potatoes are good for fattening 
chicks. 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



34. Lmgth of Cut Clover — "Would you 
please tell me what is the proper Itngth to 
cut clover? 

For fowls do not cut in lengths 

longer than half an inch — the shorter the 

better. 



3.T. Food for Lit/Jit I!r<tJnnas.—l have 
thirteen Li^ht Brahma hens. They are all well, 
but do not lay. Cau you tell me what is the best 
food for thern. and what proportion to feed? 

If the hens are a year old (or more) prob- 
ably they haven't fully recovered from 
their moult. If they are this year's pullets 
they may be too young yet. Light Brah- 
mas can be got to lay at six months old, 
but it takes an expert in Light Brahma 
breeding to accomplish it. In the hands 
of the ordinary farmer they will be eight to 
ten months old before they begin to lay. 
The best grains are wheat and barley, with 
a verv little ccDrn and oats. 



3(!. Hdtr Meat. — Havine: had poor luck 
with my hens in hacehing this sprinjj, I thou.t^ht 
I would ask j-Qu if it is injurious to feed raw 
meat to hens whose eggs are to be used for 
hatching? - 

The raw meat, if lean, should be given 

three times a week. It will not affect the 

hatching of the eggs. Your hens are 

too fat. 



37. To JIake Grit WiO ground bone 

answer for grit; Will granulated charcoal act 
in any measure as grif; "Would our common 
granite, pounded or ground, be as good, or 
better, than giavel or sand? 

Ground bone makes excellent grit, as it 
is hard and sharp, but flint, or some very 
hard substance is better. Charcoal is too 
soft and is used more as a corrective of 
bowel disorders. Ihe common granite, 
pounded chinaware, glass, or any hard 
and sharp material answers. 



3S. First Day's Feerl. — Should chicks be 
fed the tirst day ouc of shell .- 

Young chickens require neither food nor 
drink on the day on which they are hatch- 
ed: in fact, both are injurious, as they 
interfere with the natural digestion of the 
yolk, which is absorbed into the bowels at 
the period of hatching and constitutes the 
first food. Neither should hens be dis- 



turbed when the chickens are coming out 
of the shells, or the latter assisted, unless, 
indeed, by an experienced hand. More 
chickens are destroyed by the struggles of 
the hen when thus disturbed, and by un- 
timely assistance of the over-anxious 
owner, than are saved by aid rendered at 
the period of hatching. 



,■?.'>. Fmnlgation State the best plan of 

fumigation. 

Take a small furnace, or stove pot, or 
an iron kettle, into which place a pound 
or two of crude roll sulphur, broken up. 
Close the doors and v.indows (during the 
absence of the fowls in the forenoon), and 
set the contents of the vessel on fire in the 
centre of the floor. Shut the house up 
tight and leave it to smoke a couple of 
hours. This will finish the vermin com- 
pletely, for the time being. Then open 
all the windows and doors for subsequent 
thorough ventilation, and your fowls will 
realize the benefit of this cleansing for 
weeks afterward. 



41). Feeding for If'iiiter I^aijinij. How 

may the best ivsults be obtained in this matter? 

It will not conduce to winter laying if 
the hens are closely confined during the 
winter, and fed on grain principally. The 
poultryman must keep in view that the 
nitrogenous element is the most important, 
for it is the nitrogenous (albuminoids) 
m.atter that is the most difficult to obtain. 
Excess of grain allows a larger proportion 
of the carbonaceous matter than is suffici- 
ent, and, unless they are so situated as to 
permit of plenty of exercise, the hens will 
not lay a fair proportion of eggs. The 
"balanced ration" is the ration for hens as 
well as for cows, and it is the cheapest. 
Any ration that contains an excess of any 
particular food, will be fed at a loss. The 
safest plan is to feed a variety, for then 
fewer mistakes in feeding will be made, 
and the hens will be better supplied. 



41. Feeding for Fattening. —\\\ie\\\sthQ 

proper time to begin U) feed lov.-is for fattening? 

Fattening must not be begun until the 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



fowl has attained its full growth, before 
this, in fact, you cannot fatten well, al- 
though of course all extra food that will be 
digested is never lost. The pullets are best 
taken before they have begun to lay; the 
male birds when their tails begin to turn, 
that is when the two sickle feathers begin 
to top the straight feathers of the tail. 
The average age will be four months in 
summer and five to six in winter, but will 
be early according as the previous feeding 
has or has not been judiciously generous. 



4'i. Fecdhuf Mixed Grain. -Would you 
advise feediug grams uiised or separately? 

We long ago gave up feeding mixed 

grains, as a little observation showed that 

a part of the birds rushed about and 

gobbled all of one kind, leaving the others 

to take what was left. If you feed wheat 

and corn mixed, part of your fowls will 

eat corn only and will grow inordinately 

fat. The others will eat wheat only and 

will lav eggs. 



43. Green I'^oods. — We often speak of 
.ereen foods. What would you class under this 
head'' 

The list comprises grass, and grass 
seeds, green corn, cabbages, clover, pur- 
slane, young beets, garlic, onions, leeks, 
lettuce, turnips, pumpkins, apples, kohl 
rabi, carrots, etc. 



44. Saner Krant.—Hov,- shall I proceed 
to make a batch of sauer kraut for winter feetl 
for fowls? 

Cabbage is considered by many the best 
article, but is more expensive than some 
other kinds. It is apt to get too wilted for 
winter use, and it has therefore been re- 
commended to put it down in the form of 
sauer kraut. This is prepared as follows: 
Line the barrel, tub or jar with cabbage 
leav'cs, and put in finely shredded cabbage 
in a layer three inches deep, well pressed 
down and sprinkled with four tablespoon- 
fuls of salt. After five such layers have 
been put in, press down hard with a piece 
of board cut to fit the inside of the barrel 
and to thus press on the whole. Repeat 



the process until the barrel is full, pressing- 
down every four or five layers. Cover 
with leaves, and press it down -.vith a 
heavy weight. Let it ferment three weeks, 
then skiiT), and cover w^ith water. Keep 
in a cool dry place. 



4S. Ilas/i for ft) n1 try. — ^^^^at ingredients 
are best to use m a poultry" hash? 

It may be made out of meat boiled and 

minced, mashed potatoes, wheat bran. 

corn meal, and oat meal, with a- slight 

sprinkling of bone dust, salt and cayenne, 

the whole mixed with the liquor the meat 

was boiled in. Chandlers' scraps soaked 

over night in cold water and afterward 

minced, may serve in the place of meat. 



4<>. Wet /'>>«</.*.— Is ir. well to feed wet 
foods? How do they effect fowlsy 

Too wet food causes diarrhoea, dilutes 

the intestinal juices too much and soon 

knocks chickens off their legs. Ahvays 

salt and pepper it a little. A good dough 

may be made of corn-meal, oat-meal. 

wheat bran and boiled vegetables mashed 

in the proportion of one-third of each, and 

wet with milk or water, the former pi'e- 

ferred. 



47 . Jione.s as a Ponltry Food . — With 
corn at $1.50 per bushel, what does P. II. Jacobs 
consider the value of green bone as poultry 
food after it has passed through a bone cutter ? 

When corn reaches f i 50 per bushel 
feed may well be considered high. The 
usual estimated allowance of corn, or its 
equivalent, for a hen, for one year, is five 
pecks, valued where corn is worth $1.50 
per bushel, at $i.87>^. At 20 cents per 
dozen for eggs (as an average price) a hen 
must lay 10 dozen eggs a year, to give a 
profit on the feed, and when the estimate 
is made for a whole flock the probability 
is that nine dozen fggs per year will be 
nearer the number. Green bones, cut 
(they cannot be ground), contain meat, oil 
and phosphate of lime. The bones also 
contain a considerable proportion of nitro- 
gen independently of the adhering meat. 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



cartilage and marrow. As thej^ differ in 
composition from grain, a proper com- | 
parison is not easily made between the 
two, especially as much depends on the 
kind of bones, and the amount of meat 
adhering to them, and whether it is fat 
or lean. Bones are more concentrated 
food than grain, about one ounce of cut 
bone being considered a fair allowance for 
each hen per day, or about 23 pounds per 
year. The bones alone are not sufficient, 
as the fowls will need also grain and green 
food, but bones may assist in reducing the 
quantity of grain required. Grain is not 
a complete food either, and in feeding 
bones, or other food, the allowance of 
five pecks of corn is reduced in proportion 
to the amount of other food given as a 
substitute. The value of the 23 pounds of 
green bones depends on the locality. I 
buy them from the butcher at two cents 
per pound, but probably could not get them 
at all if there were strong competition to 
secure them. The labor of grinding the 
bones is also an item, but cut bones just 
as they corne from the mill, and as fine as 
sausage meat, are now on the market, in 
small boxes, at five cents per pound. At 
this price the 23 pounds w'ould be valued 
at $1.15, which would be cheaper than 
corn at $1,875 ^^^ ^^'^ pecks. The bone 
being more concentrated (containing less 
water than corn) is really more valuable, 
bulk for bulk, than corn. Leaving out 
the labor of grinding, the bones are valued 
at 46 cents. This estimate is made for a 
year's supply of corn and of bones. It 
must not be overlooked that bones alone 
will not answer, while the same may be 
slated of corn. Five pecks of corn a 
year is an allowance of about three ounces 
per day to each hen. , By reducing the 
amount of grain to i| ounce, and the 
amount of bone to half an ounce, the 
proportions will be fair, but of course, in 
feeding, it is to be considered that the hen 
requires less help in the shape of feed in 
summer; green food is also a factor, and 



the condition and breed of the hens are 
very important considerations to say noth- 
ing of the fact that appetites differ, and 
that individual characteristics must be 
observed. 



4S-03. 3IisefTJ(ini'ous luqniv'iv.s. 

What shall I feed moulting hens? (Give 
variety of food. Meat twice a week. A 
teaspoonful of linseed meal in the grain 
daily.) Is buckwheat bran good for chicks 
when wet up? (Yes.) Are refuse crackers 
good for fowls? (Excellent.) How will 
it do to feed fowls with bran, mixed v/ith 
potatoes? (It is excellent.) Is bran, corn 
meal and ground feed, mixed with water, 
good for a morning feed ? (Yes.) Is pop- 
corn equal to corn as food for fowls and 
chicks? (Yes, better, as it contains more 
nitrogen and phosphates.) Is stone coal 
and cinder from the stove good for laying 
hens? (Of no value except for the hens 
to pick over for grit.) Would crushed 
cuttle bone (same as used for canary birds) 
be of any benefit to chickens? Would it 
be a substitute for ordinary bone? (It is 
of no value.) Is the small, white clover 
as good as the red for use in feeding 
poultry ? (Yes; it is fully equal to the red.) 
Is the refuse from a distillery good for 
chickens? Rye is what they use. (If fed 
moderately it is excellent.) Should buck- 
wheat be fed whole or ground ? (Either 
mode will answer, but it is usually fed 
whole.) How could a person keep green 
clover enough to feed 400 chickens all 
winter? (You canncit well keep it green 
without the use of a silo.) Is brewery 
grain injorious for hens to eat? Also 
cracked acorns, which the}^ like so much. 
(Not injurious, if fed moderately.) Is let- 
tuce good for young chickens, or will it 
make them sleepy and dumpish? (Excel- 
lent.) Will cotton-seed meal, if fed to 
fowls too much, cause the eggs to fail to 
hatch? (It is fattening.) Is water cress 
good for fowls? (Yes : excellent.) 



CHAPTER II. 



DISEASES OF POULTRY. 



ROUP. 



"W. Vale says: — It is a well-known fact 
that exposure to cold and wet will cause— 

1. Roup, as, more correctly stated, will 
produce acute inflammatory action, result- 
ing exudation, eventually embracing the 
entire surface of the membranes of the 
nose, mouth, throat and windpipe. If 
this exudation is not speedily checked it 
degenerates into pus, which is the dis- 
charge present in the last two stages of 
roup, and is the only mode in which this 
disease is disseminated. 

2. In this stage, termed diphtheritic 
roup, the exudative membrane becoming 
permanent and pressing upon the sub- 
jacent tissue, acts as a foreign body, 
causing ulcerations to appear on the sur- 
face. These ulcerations are the so-called 
"cankers." 

3. This condition arrived at, there is a 
stagnation of the nutritive processes, "the 
blood becomes impaired, scrofula and 
liver disease supervene. 

These conclusions have been arrived at 
after studying the disease for three years, 
during which time diseased fowls have 
been experimented upon killing some at 
the various stages and dissecting them. 
They are easily cured in the first stage, 
curable in the second, and not worth 
curing in the third. 

The following will be found to be un- 



equaled treatment for all stages of the dis- 
ease, combined with nutritious, soft food: 

Fills. — Sulphate of copper, half grain; 
cayenne pepper, one grain; hydrastin, 
half grain; copaiba, three drops; Venetian 
turpentine, q. s. In pill night and 
morning. 

Lotion. — Sulphate of copper quarter 
ounce, dissolved in a pint of rain water. 
To wash out the mouth and nostrils if 
required. 

The simplest means of preventing their 
drinking water acting as a means of 
spreading the disease is to add a little tar 
water to it, prepared by stiring about one 
pound of tar in two gallons of water and 
decanting off the clear water as required 
for use. — IV. Vale 



Roup, says Stoddard's " Poultry Dis- 
eases," is a disease of the lining membrane 
of the beak, extending, however, to the 
whole head and throat, through the tear 
duct to the eye, and finally affecting the 
whole constitution. In fatal cases death 
ensues on three to eight days after the 
specific roup symptoms show themselves, 
and cases not treated are generally fatal 
whenever the malady appears as an epi- 
demic in its severe form. After death the 
gall bladder and liver are found full of 
pus; the flesh has a bad odor and is soft, 
slimy and spongy, especially about the 
lungs. There are many other names 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers 



15 



under which this malady is often described; j erally swollen, though not always. The 
swelled eyes, diphtheria, sore head, hoarse- I blinded fowl can not see to eat or drink, 
ness, bronchitis, asthma, snuffles, canker, ' and this hastens the fatal end. The dis- 
blindness, influenza, sore throat, quinsy, I charge has a bad odor, and this is the one 
etc., but some of these conditions vc\2iy\inost distinctive syinptotn oi \.\\&xc>wt^. The 
exist even when roup is not present. The I clogging of the nostrils also seriously 
causes of roup, like the causes of cholera, i impedes the breathing. In all this, there 



do not all need special enumeration here. 
Anything that lowers the tone of the fowl, 
bad food, bad housing, lice, bad ventila- 
tion, filthy houses, etc. A very promi- 
nent cause, however, is exposure to cold 
and wet. So prominent is this, and so 
marked is the commencement of the dis- 



does not seem to be any trace of special 
poison; it is like a typhoid influenza. 
One of the best means of detecting the 
approach of roup is to lift the wing of the 
suspected bird and see if there is not a spot 
there where the feathers are smeared with 
a discharge from the beak, which has rub- 



ease at the beak, that it might almost be j bed off when the bird has put its head 
called malignant catarrh, ind it is possibly I under its wing at night. Also invariably 
nothing more. Influenza in the human j look at the nostrils and see if they are 
being sometimes assumes a distinctive 'clean and free from the slightest clogging, 
form, and fowls are sometimes destroyed | Go the rounds at night with a lantern and 
by colds alone. Roup, therefore, is most inspect your birds. Listen then for rattling 
common in autumn and winter and where or sneezing. 

fowls are exposed to wet, cold draughts' Treatment — First and foremost, put the 
and damp, sunless quarters. The disease diseased fowls by themselves, if possible, 
is contagious, from contact with the dis- each one separately, and as to cleaning, 
charge, either when a diseased fowl etc., proceed exactly as recommended in 
touches another, or when a "veil fowl gets the treatment of cholera. Take all pos- 
the discharge through the drinking foun- sible means to prevent any of the discharge 
tain or otherwise. It can also, if brought coming in contact with any other fowl, 
into contact with the human eye, or with which renders thorough purification of the 
a wound or an abraded surface on the drinking vessels, etc., necessary. Some 
hand, cause serious inflammation, so that preparation of carbolic acid is good for 
caution is needful in handling the fowl. this purpose. Give warm, stimulating 
Symptoms. — It may come on suddenly, food, house in a warm, dry place, with a 
or slowly, with previous signs of general sandy bottom. Various plans are fol- 
debility, moping, etc. The first signs are lowed for the internal treatment of the 
those of catarrh or cold in the head, dry sick fowl, most of which are often suc- 
cough and dull wheezing. Much fever; cessful. A mild purge at the beginning, 
the fowl drinks eagerly. The comb and as for instance a spoonful of castor oil is 
wattles majr be pale or dark colored. The advisable. German Roup Pills are highly 
cold grows worse. There is a yellowish recommended. In addition to the above, 
discharge, thin and watery at first, which some stimulants, such as mustard or pul- 
grows thicker and thicker, and fills — in verised ginger in pills as large as a pea, 
severe cases — throat, nostrils and eyes, given thrice daily, with cayenne pepper in 
the latter being closed and swollen even to the food and water. The rule for pepper 
the size of a walnut and the sides of the \ in the soft food is to season as strongly as 
face may swell up. Pustules form all if for human food; in the drink, make as 
about the head and in the gullet, and dis- | strong as your own "pepper tea. ' Dr. 
charge a frothy pus. The crop is gen- : Bennett recommends, thrice a day. a pill 



i6 



Five Hundred Oiikstions and Answeks. 



of the size of a hazelnut made of equal 
parts of pulverized sulphur, powdered 
charcoal and new yeast. To this must be 
added the mustard, etc., stimulants. 
Powdered charcoal should be added freely 
to the soft food always in this disease. It 
purifies the digestive organs against the 
foul matter in the throat which the patient 
is obliged to swallow. In any plan of 
treatment, if the disease runs several days 
the purge should be repeated. Besides the 
dosing, the eyes, throat and face must be 
carefully attended to. "Wash the head 
thoroughly with castile soap-suds," or 
better, with Labarraque's Solution of 
Chlorinated Soda, mixed with two parts of 
water, several times a day if there be much 
discharge. If the throat be clogged ivith 
the secretion, clear out and use the chl. 
sod. here also, applying it with a camel's- 
hair brush. The swelling of the eyes may 
generally be reduced by patient bathing, 
but sometimes an operation is necessary to 
remove the cheesey lump of hardened 
secretion. Simply open with a sharp knife 
and remove the deposit. Nitric acid, 
applied with a feather into the nostril 
twice or thrice, is sometimes used, taking 
off the old scab at each application. Do 
not be in a hurry to return the fowl, after 
recovery, to the flock; keep it on some 
tonic for a time. 



CANKER. 



It will go from one bird to another with 
wonderous celerity, and the fancier who 
finds it fairly started in his flock should 
immediately remove the sick fowl to a 
place by itself. Upon old hens, or upon 
game cocks after they have been fought or 
"exercised," if it breaks out it is very hard 
to cure. Unless the fowl be a really val- 
uable one, the process is so slow in remov- 
ing it that it hardly pays for the trouble it 
causes. Upon games old cockers use 
saline washes and alum water, frequently 
bathing and cleansing the disordered parts, 
oftentimes with success at last. An alter- 
nate washing of burnt alum dissolved in 
new rum and chlorate of potash in a rum 
solution is excellent. The sore places 
should be cleansed thoroughly every morn- 
ing and evening, and the canker removed 
daily. If taken in its very earliest stages 
the canker spots may be advantageously 
touched with a weak solution of nitrate of 
silver . This will burn off the sores if fol- 
lowed up before they get too soft and 
pulpy. 

Another remedy is to first remove all 
cankeros matter possible. Wash out the 
mouth and throat with water, then apply 
with a soft brush equal parts tincture of 
myrrh, borax and chlorate of potash till 
the sore looks clean, then dust with 
powdered borax till healed. 



THE GAPES. 



Canker shows itself upon the corners of 
the mouth usually, at first. Then the yel- 
lowish white spots appear upon the face 
and wattles. It spreads rapidly, however, 
and we have known cases where in thirty- 
six hours from its first showing the roof of 
the upper mandible, the tongue and the 
nostrils were completely covered with this 
offensive and troublesome sore. It should 
be taken in hand promptly, when first dis- 
covered. Tlje bird affected with canker 
ought not be permitted to remain an hour 
in the same pen or run with well fowls. 



Dr. M. G. Ellzeysays: — Gapes is caused 
by a collection of small thread-like worms 
in the windpipe of the chicken. To kill 
these worms a^nd not hurt the chicken is 
the thing to do. Coal oil of the cheaper 
grades is a more effectual insecticide than 
the refined. Take a small glass tube with 
a small rubber bulb, which apothecaries 
i-ell for a "medicine dropper," half fill it 
with coal oil, and inserting the tip into the 
windpipe, discharge the oil. The gapes 
are cured. A small oil can used for sew- 
ing machines will do in place of the medi- 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



17 



cine dropoer. Operate as follows: Place mended. Camphor has been given in pills 

the size of a pea, with success. Alum 



the chicken back down, between your 
knees, and hold him gently; open his bill 
and draw the tongue out. Seize the lower 
mandible and tongue thus drawn out 
between the forefinger and thumb nail of 
the left hand. This will bring into view 
the opening into the windpipe at the base 
of the tongue, into which gently insert the 
tube and discharge the oil. Close the bill, 
and hold the head still for a few seconds. 
Then let the chicken go and he will cough, 
spattering some of the oil out, but enough 
remains to destroy the worms and they 
will be coughed up and swallowed. The 
gapes continue for a time after the treat- 
ment, but the rem.ed}^ will be effectual in 
every case if properly applied, and it may 
readily be repeated, if thought worth while, 
as often as necessary. After a little prac- 
tice it is very easily applied and always 
succeeds. 

The easiest treatment, says ''Poultry 
Diseases,''' is to put some carbolic acid of 
the clear, transparent quality into a spoon 
or metal saucer and hold it over a lamp. 
Dense, white fumes will arise. Hold the 
chicken's head in these until it is nearly 
suffocated. Or, shut all the affected chick- 
ens into a box and fumigate them, together, 
but watch them closely lest they be killed. 
Burned sulphur fumes will also do very 
well for this purpose. The vapor of spirits 
of turpentine and C)f creosote are also 
recommended. Another method is to take 
a feather, which has been stripped of all 
the webbed portion save its tip, and dip it 
into spirits of turpentine or kerosene and 
thrust it into the windpipe and turn it 
around several times. Some of the worms 
will be killed, some will come out with the 
feather, some will be coughed out at once; 
catch on a sheet of paper and burn them 
all. The opening of the windpipe is easily 
found at the base of the tongue. 

As the subject is very important, we add 
still other methods of treatment recom- 



and sulphur in the form of fine powder, 
blown dowrt the throat, will destroy the 
worms. Lime in the air will also effect 
the purpose, and may be applied by put- 
ting the chickens into a box covered with 
fine muslin and sifting fine lime through 
this, but not so fast as to smother the 
chicken. Another method, by some 
deemed doubtful and dangerous, is to 
pinch the chicken's throat; this will crush 
the worms and cause them to loosen their 
hold, when they will be coughed up. 



CHOLERA. 



This name is given to a disorder of 
obscure origin and character, which has 
proved itself to be one of the most rapidly 
destructive known to poultry keepers. 
Anything that tends to lower the consti- 
tutional vigor of the fowl will render it 
liable to an access of this disease. Un- 
wholesome food, given at irregular 
periods, impure and stagnant water as a 
drink, exposure to the weather or to the 
depressing heat of the sun without shade, 
all of these causes, so readily enumerated, 
increase the liability of the fowl to this 
disorder, as well as to many others. 
Among the causes most prominent in 
fostering the disease is, it is agreed on all 
hands, an over-crowded condition of the 
coops. In the first place such a con- 
dition of things is directly depressing to 
the fowls ; in the second place the bad air 
makes good soil for the development of 
poisonous " germs," if any such there be. 
Cholera has been known, however, to 
attack flocks that are not kept in houses at 
all. Such cases can be explained by the 
fact that fowls thus kept are generally 
badly protected from the weather, and 
besides this, they really crowd together at 
their roosting places, which are sure to be 
tainted by an accumulation of droppings. 



Five Hunured Questions and Answers. 



Cholera seems also to be more prevalent ■ becomes heavy and fast, the crop fills with 



in very hot and in very dry seasons.- 

It is thought to be infectious, but the 
infection does not seem to travel very far. 
I'ov.ds roosting near fowls sick with 
■•Cholera will catch it, but whether from 
them or from their droppings does not 
appear. This is the gist of the grounds 
of the statement that ihe specific poison 
which produces cholera is generated 
locally on premises where the disease 
exists. 

J, i'!:it>iis.— The organ most changed is 
the //Trr. This is found enlarged, dark 
green, full of dark blood, congested and 
usually tender; it can easily be crushed in 
■'♦.he hand. The j^izzaj-a! is softer and some- 
times much smaller than natural, and 
contains half-digested food. The c-ro/> and 
iii/t's/i/ics are often full of sour, fermenting 
food, and u'cerated, and the intestines are 
much inflam-.-d and "sore,"' that is, 
exccu'iated The testicles have been fc-und 
much altered. The condition of the liver 
m>w is the main thing to be ncted. Cf 
course, you will find the brain, nerves and 
lungs p.iure or less congested, full of 
darker blot;d than usual, and the heart 
perhaps enlarged. The blood is darker 
and thicker than usual, and this condition 
together with that of the liver, are thought 
by Dr. Dickie to exist in no other disease. 
The liver is not only the organ the most 
altered, but apparently it is the one 
attacked first. 

Symptoms and Diagnosis. — The disease 
must be made out before death, rather 
from its sudden epidemic character than 
anything else. It comes suddenly in some 
cases; a fowl well to-day may be dead 
to-morrow, and a whole flock may be thus 
rapidly carried off. The discharges are 
thought by some authorities to be decisive. 



mucus and wind; at last the food is not 
digested, the eyes close, and in a few 
hours the fowl dies." There is weakness, 
sometimes extreme, at the commencement 
of the disease; the fowl may even be 
unable to stand well. It does not plume 
itself, and has a general sleepy, moping 
appearance. At a later period, the dark, 
thickened blood ma}' turn the comb and 
wattles dark, or may readily flow through 
them, so that they become pale. There is 
much fever, great thirst, and a rapid, 
weak pulse. Cramps may occur. The 
fowl may die from the digestive disturb- 
ances, or apparently from paralysis of the 
heart or lungs, caused by the poisoned 
blood. 

Tri'alment. — You cannot save the lives 
<;f all those attacked, neither will the same 
treatment that is good in the North suc- 
ceed in the South. Remove your whole 
flock at once to clean quarters, if possible 
to some gravelly site that has never been 
used before for stock, and see that they 
are healthily housed there, and in all 
regards in a healthful condition. Separate 
the sick from the -well, and if it were possi- 
ble it would be well to have every hen, 
especially eziery sick hen, have a place 
apart. This is practicable enough with 
some valuable pets. 

The following is the treatment of the 
sick fowl recommended in the \'aluable 
treatise of Dr. Dickie; "Fowls that are 
too sick to eat should have every four or 
five hours a pill made as follows: Blue 
Mass 60 grains, Pulverized Carriphor 25 
grains, Cayenne Pepper 30 grains, Pulver- 
ized Rhubarb 48 grains; Laudanum 60 
drops. Mix and make into twenty pills. 
When they have had time to act, give half 
a teaspoonful of Castor Oil and ten drops 



These are mild at first, are yellowish of Laudanum to each. Let them drink 
green, " or like sulphur and water," be- scalded sour milk, with a gill of Douglass 
coming thinner, greener and more frothy Mixture for every twenty-five head, a day. 
as the disease goes on, and never stopping | The treatment ought to change the 
until tlie fowl is dead. "The breathing ; character of the evacuations and make 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers, 



19 



them darker and more solid. When this 
happens, and not before, give them alum 
water or strong white oak bark tea to 
drink, and no other drink." This will 
tend to check the discharges. 



DIARRHOEA AND DYSENTERY. 
5. 

Too much green food may cause it. 
Mr. Tegetmeier preferred twice a day a 
pill of powdered chalk five grains, rhu- 
barb five grains, cayenne pepper three 
grains, to which in severe cases add half a 
grain of opium. Chalk, in fine powder, 
on well boiled rice will sometimes check 
it, without medicine. Six drops of cam- 
phorated spirit make a good dose, on 
barley meal. Restrict the drink, and put 
a little tincture of iron in it, or alum to 
check the diarrhoea. " Bone dust," 
Wright says, '' prevents diarrhc^a." 

A bad diarrhoea, with bloody evacu- 
ations, probably affecting more the lower 
part of the gut is called dysentery. A bad 
disease to cure. Give a dose of castor oil, 
and follow with laudanum, five drops 
every few hours. Rest is important in 
diarrhoea and dysentery, as well as an 
early diagnosis from cholera. If you are 
not certain put the sick fowl by itself, 
which is a good point in the treatment of 
all these diseases, as the fowl is less apt to 
be disturbed. For diarrhoea, the homoeo- 
paths use ipecacuanha: arsenicum, if a 
bad diet be the cause, and chamomilla ; 
each in doses every two hours. Diarrhoea, 
despite of treatment, may become very 
chronic. Try sweet oil internally. 



G. IndU/rstioit. — Give remedies for indi- 
gestion in fowls. 

Indigestion may produce either consti- 
pation, by causing inflammation, or 
diarrhoea or dysentery. It may be 
accompanied by fever or loss of appetite, 
and apparently pain in the stomach. The 
crop is sometimes swollen, and the liver 
may become seriously affected. It is 
sometimes due to cold, but is generally 



du; to too much or too stimulating diet. 
Cut down the diet to a little soft, bland 
food, limit the water supply, and give cut 
green grass. Five grains of rhubarb 
changed every fourth day for one grain of 
calomel is recommended by Wright in 
addition. It is going to be very difficult 
to detect disorders of the liver, but a 
"sickly yellowish look about the head 
and comb," with general inactivity is to 
be looked for. Dosing will do no good; 
calomel, one grain every other day may 
be tried. Indigestion in young chickens 
may cause depression of the breast bone. 



7. ItJiciiDiafisiti, —What is the cause and 
cure for rheamatisnii' 

Rheumatism generally comes from ex- 
posure to cold wet, as by running in the 
wet grass in the morning, wet roosting 
places, etc. The malady is hereditary. 
The symptoms are leg weakness, stiff 
joints, or contraction of the toes. It may 
lead to a fatal inflammation of the heart. 
The treatment consists mainly in warm, 
dry quarters and good stimulating food ; 
a little cooked meat every day. Rub the 
legs well with hot mustard water, after- 
wards wiping quite dry. Half a grain of 
opium (a quarter of a grain for a chicken 
of three months), night and morning will 
soothe uie pain. 



8. Lc(i Weahness. — My hens seem unable 
to move about on their legs. What ails them ? 

Fowls, especially cockerels that grow 
too fast, squat down on the ground. 
Sometimes there is also a deficiency of 
earthy matter in the bones. Bone dust 
may be freely used. Feed with substances 
which do not tend to fat ; wheat, barley, 
meat. In warm weather dip the legs in 
cold water twice a day. Internally may 
be given iron, three to eight grains of the 
citrate daily, or some form of iron and 
quinine. Hinton's recipe is sulphate of 
iron one grain a day ; strychnine one six- 
teenth of a grain, phosphate of lime five 
grains, sulphate of quinine half a grain ; 
thrice daily. 



Five Hundred Questions and Answeks. 



.9. Ileus Don't Xrfj/.— What is the matter 
with my hens.' They have not laid any eg-RS 
for three mouths, and I notice that several have 
one eye closed as if they had no eye on that side 
of their head. 

They probably have the roup, the closed 
eye indicating draughts over them. 



to. ])isch((r<jc at JVostril-s.—ls a dis- 
charge at the nostrils a sure indication of roup? 

Nearly all chicks at from eight to fifteen 
weeks of age have a running at nostrils. 
This is not roup discharge, at all, but 
arises from inaction of the mucous mem- 
branes of head and throat. 



11. Cholera Sytuptoms. — What are the 
sj'uiptoms of chicken cholera, with cure? 

Symptoms are intense thirst, debility, 

followed by prostration, with greenish 

droppings. Give a teaspoon of carbolic 

acid in a quart of water — no other drink. 



I'i. Corn on Foot. — I have a very valuable 
Leg-horn cock with a bad corn on his foot. Is 
there any cure for it? 

Probably due to high roost. Keep him 

on straw. It is not easily cured with 

remedies. 



13. I)(rinpne.ss, — I have otit of seventy-five 
(chickens six or eight roosters — no ptdlets — with 
extended crops, and they <h-aw their heads down 
to their shciulders and act as thoiig-h it was stiff. 
Their legs seem weak, and with difficulty they 
can get on to a low roost. 

Due probably to damp season. Give 

them plenty of grit, and keep quarters dry. 

Add a teaspoon of citrate of ammonia and 

iron to each quart of drinking water. 



14 Co))stip(it!on. — I have had several cases 
of the hindquarters in chickens, bo'h young and 
old, protruding fully an inch. Will you please 
tell me the cause and give me a remedy? 

Probably due to constipation. Give a 

tablespoonful of linseed oil meal once a 

day, in the food, for six hens, and feed 

plenty of grass. 



15. Iiiiti(/estian.— I have a lot of chickens 
as large as (luails. They act as though they 
were choked, open their mouths to breathe, 
make a noise like sneezing. Some have died. 
They eat well, have a free run, are fed corn 
meal wet with warm water and sour milk, and 
were growing nicely luitil taken with this 
trouble. 

This is indigestion, caused primarily by 



want of grit in the gizzard to grind up the 
food, but probably aggravated by the corn 
meal dough, which is one of the poorest 
foods upon which to bring up chicks. 
It sours in the crop, heats, etc., irritates 
the intestines, and causes no end of 
trouble, and then, it provides not one- 
fifth of the elements needed to produce 
good growth. If mixed half and half with 
shorts it would be greatly improved; if 
one-third corn meal, one-third shorts, and 
the other oatmeal (ground oats,) it would 
be a great deal better, and still fall short of 
a complete ration. There should be added 
beef scraps to furnish animal food to sup- 
ply fledging material, bone meal to supply 
material for the frame, etc., and with 
chickens as large as quails certainly one 
feed a day should be wheat, whole, 
of course, supposing that they have mill 
stones in their gizzards to grind it. 



16. C/iirken-foje.— Has a chicken the 
chicken-pox when its face, comb and wattles are 
covered with swellings that look like warts, with 
black scabs? If so, what will cure it? 

Yes: anoint with a few drops of glycer- 
ine, and keep them warm and dry. 



17. Slxhi l>i.s('ff.sp.— What is the matter 
with my Leghorn chicks? The down comes off 
and leaves a scale on their heads. Have looked 
for lice. 

It maybe due to some cutaneous disease. 
Try anointing the head, once a day, with 
a mixture composed of ten drops carbolic 
acid, one teaspoonful of cedar oil and a 
teaspoonful of glycerine. 



.IS Cholera Rented tj. — How is 1 oz. of 

glycerine, 1 oz. of water, and ten drops of car- 
bolic acid for cholera? Dose 5 drops in 12 hours. 

It should prove very good. 



lit. AjH>2>le.ri/.—l have lost some chickens 
that acted as th(!)ugh they had a spasm. On 
examining them found the skin had tiu-ned a 
dark red. They were taken suddenly, and tried 
to stand on their heads. I feed a warm feed in 
the morning, oats at noon, corn at night. What 
is it? 

This was probably apoplexy — a sudden 
rush of blood to the head and rupture of a 
blood vessel there. The remedy is /rtfz/<'«- 
(ion. You have probably been overfeed- 



Five Hundred Questions amd Answeks. 



ing. Stop the corn and feed wheat and 
barley instead, and give steamed clover 
or some such bulky food instead of the 
oats at noon every other day. Above all 
make them 'cvork for their food by having 
them have to scratch it up. Exercise is 
one of the best preventives of disease. 



fiO. Tobacco for Mites. — I want a remedy 
for mites that will not liarm the egg under a 
sitting hen. 

Put tobacco refuse in the nest, and dust 

daily with fresh insect powder. 



31. Treatment for Lire. — How can I get 

rid of lice on my fowls? 

First clean up the premises. Saturate 
kerosene oil over every part, especially 
under side of roosts. Dust fowls well 
with insect powder. Give them a dust 
bath. Grease their heads and necks with 
warm lard. Repeat this twice or three 
tim2S a week. It means hard work. Dip 
the fowls in a bath of carbolic acid (one 
part) and water 60 parts. An ointment of 
lard, sulphur and kerosene may be 
applied. Yellow snuff is recommended. 
Rub oil of fennel on head. Give tonics 
for debility. 



This disease consists of a white scurf or 
dust which begins at the base of the comb, 
and soon covers it all. It sometimes attacks 
the wattles. It is really a fungus growth, 
and most commonly attacks fowls that are 
kept in unhealthy localities and that do 
not have a good supply of fresh vegetables. 
Put sulphur and tar ointment on the 
combs. Give a dose of castor oil then a 
teaspoonful of powdered sulphur in the 
food every day for a week. 



33. Scabby Leys — Please give a remedy 
for seabijy legs/ 

Mix a teaspoonful of kerosene and a gill 

of lard. Apply on the legs once a week, 

the mixture to be warm. 



33. Colds. — Please scate what is the matter 
with cociserels or ciiiclteas when they make a 
noise at night wliile on their roost when drawing 
breath like a jjerson does when lie is gargling 
his throat. And what will cure it? 

It is due to heavy cold, probably caused 

by a draught in poultry house. Sprinkle a 

pinch of chlorate of potash down the 

throat once a dav. 



34. Stiff Le{/s. — What is the cause and cure 
for my fowls? They have a kind of stiff legs; 
they raise the feet up to the Jjody when walking. 

It is caused by dampness, feeding sul- 
phur, high roosts, or causes not known. 



'.?.7. White Comft.— What makes thecomas 
of some of my fowls turn white, and what is the 
ti'eatment. 



30. Troiibte irit/i < tr id act .—Whnt treat- 
mi=-nt should be given for iutlammatiou of the 
oviduct? What causes it? 

It results from taking cold or irom un- 
wholesome food, or food that is over 
stimulating. The symptoms are general 
feverishness, feathers puffed out, continual 
straining on part of the hen, imperfect 
eggs, etc. Remove hen from cock and 
give hen a grain of calomel with one- 
tenth of a grain of tartar emetic in meal, 
followed the next day by another if re- 
quired. 



37'. Woriiis.—VChat shall I give for internal 
worms? 

Improve the general health of the fowl. 

Give a dose of castor oil, then follow with 

sulphur in food. 



3S. Scaly Leij. — What causesscaly legs and 
1 o V can the crouble I e cuied'' 

It is due to a small parasitic insect. 
Stoddard's "Poultry Diseases" says these 
insects, their cast off skin, eggs, and the 
overgrowth of the epidermis causes grayish 
white swellings on the legs which may 
ulcerate."' Apply an ointment t>f equal 
parts lard and coal tar. Vinegar and 
glycerine is also used. Some wash with a 
weak solution of sugar of lead in the 
morning applying ointment of creosote in 
the evenina:. 



39. Jironch (7(.s.— How should bronchitis be 
treated? 

Bronchitis is an aggravated form of 

catarrh and a ccugh is present. After the 

fowl is put in a warm, dry place give 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



sweetened water slightly soured with 
sulphuric and nitric acid. A stimulan"^ 
like cayenne or ginger will hasten recovery. 



30. Worms in l^'ou- Is.— Will you please 
tell me how to rid hens of worms? 

Feed a tablespoon of the well-known 
worm-seed to six hens, three times a week. 



Anoint daily with one part spirits tur- 
pentine and two parts alcohol. 



31. CJi ickeii Cholera.— WiW j'ou please tell 
me a cure for chicken cholera? 

Try a teaspoon of liquid carbolic acid 

in li quarts of water and give no other 

water to drink. 



.9,5. Powdered Sulphur Would it be 

grood pohcy to mix powdered sulpliur with the 
food for fowls? 

There is,sulphur in the eggs, so it is 

safe to presume that a little in their food 

would be advantageous; but we should 

advise feeding but a very little, as it is 

loosening, and opens the pores of the skin, 

making the birds liable to colds. 



32. J'lii.— Please tell me the easiest and best 
way to take "Pip" off heus' tongues. Is the 
"Pip'" injurious to the hens? 

'"Pip" is an inflammation of the tongue 
and mouth, and causes a growth of a 
horny scale on the point of the tongue, 
which prevents their feeding. The scale 
should be removed with the point of a 
sharp penknife, and a pinch of powdered 
chlorate of potash be dropped into the 
fowl's throat and upon her tongue. Any 
disease is injurious. Others say the tip 
should not be removed. They prescribe 
two or three grains of black pepper in 
fresh butter daily to stimulate digestion, 
as pip is considered to oe caused by in- 
digestion. 



SG. Chieheii Iiijtfited.—l have a chicken 
whose skin is filled with air. At first I thought 
her a very fat creature, but upon examining her 
find she is soft as a spo; g •. What is the cause 
of it? 

It is probable that there is a leak in her 
windpipe, which allows a little air to 
escape into her body every time she 
breathes. Better take off her head and 
eat her whiL- she is in good flesh. 



3,3. Sirolleu Ci'oj.).— What is the cause and 
cure of swollen crop? 

If the crop is soft and puffy it is known 
as "sour crop" and if swollen and feverish 
is difficult to cure; if hard, the passage to 
the gizzard is probably obstructed. Taken 
in time, either case is easily remedied. 
Put the f<j-vl in a coop by itself, allow it 
no water except a drink twice a day. Give 
a teaspoonful of castor oil for three morn- 
ings. If the crop is still full and hard at 
the end'of that time open it and remove 
the contents, wash clean with warm water, 
sew it up with silk. 



37. JSi/i/ 7{o(f»H/.— I have a White Lertiorn 

pii llet that 'is egg- bound. Is thei-e anything that 
will benefit her? 

Probably not. Dip a finger in sweet oil 
or cosmoline and insert in the egg passage. 
By careful manipulation the egg may be 
broken and the hen relieved. If the bird 
is valuable it may be worth while to attempt 
to save her. 

,3S. liheutuati.'^ni —I am puzzled to know 

what is the matter with chickens that lose all 

strength in their feet and legs the toes seem to 

I cramp up, and they are unaV>le to stand They 

I are hearty and eat as much as usual. 

I This is probably rheumatism, which 

affects chicks and fowls just as it does 

human beings, and is due to acid in the 

blood, or an acidulous condition of the 

blood. Rub the legs and feet with a good 

strong liniment, and feed warming, 

stimulating food; give them milk to drink. 



34. Itiseolored Comb. — Please tell me what 
to do for discoloration of combs in Black Minor- 
ca hens. Color underside seems all right but 
upperside has purple or darkish spots near base 
of comb. 



39. Med Mites.— Row shall I proceed to 
get the hen house free of red mites? 

The red vermin is the red spider louse or 
red mite. Kerosene kills them at once, 
and as their haunts are the cracks and 
crevices of the roosting poles, and the 
sides of buildings, nest boxes, etc., they 
are easy to destroy. If they are numerous 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers 



23 



go over the whole inside of the building 
with hot whitewash, sopping it on freely, 
so every crack and crevice is filled. Clean 
out and whitewash nest boxes, clean up 
the floor and put in fresh sand, and start 
all fresh and clean. 



40. A FdU Tojffc— Will you name a good 
tonic for moulting hens? 

The moulting hens will be greatly re- 
lieved and assisted in feathering if given 
some kind of tonic, and one of the best is 
to mix together 20 grains of quinine, 20 
grains of chloride of iron, 40 grains of red 
pepper, one pound of fenugrc-ck, one 
ounce of sulphur, and half a pound of 
salt. Put a teaspoonful of the mixture in 
s<)me kind of soft food, for every six henr, 
three times a week. Give meat occasion- 
ally, and feed mixed grains. iMoulting 
fowls take cold very easily should the 
weather change suddenly, and care must 
be taken to keep them warm and dry. 



41. Croj) Hottud, ffohnhlt/. — I htvve a 
hen with chicks. Wlien she is held up by the 
feet, head downward, «atei' runs li-oiu her 
mouth. Sometimes this occurs when she leans 
over to feed. Please tell me what it is and the 
remedy. 

It is probably a case of crop bound, or 
of the obstruction of the passage leading 
from the crop to the gizzard. This would 
cause inordinate thirst, and hunger also, 
and she would eat and drink continuous- 
ly, to satisfy that appetite and thirst. 
Examine the crop by feeling, and see if the 
trouble is there. If the trouble is lower 
down, a dose of castor oil may reach it, 
but probably the hatchet is the better cure. 



42. A Good Tonic. —I would like a pre 
scription for a good tonic. 

Tincture of perchloride of iron, 2 

drachms; compound tincture of gentian, 

2 drachms; lime water, 2 ounces: eggs 

beaten, 2 ounces; cod liver oil, 4 ounces. 

Shake thoroughly up into an emulsion, 

and give two tablespoonfuls three times a 

day. In scrofulous tendency or hereditary 

weakness the above is an excellent stock 



medicine, and may be given to young 
chicks in ten drop doses mixed with the 
food. It is often valuable in diarrhoea, 
and especially so during moult. 



4,'i. Diarflmii in f. /< /c/.-.s'.— A good receipt 
for diarrhiea in young chicks al)0ut two weeks 
old is wanted. 

Ground saffron, i ounce, gentian 

i ounce, red pepper 10 grains. (3ive a 

thimble full twice a day. 



44. JVi'^/jro. — Hens run about as if con- 
nrsed and didn't know wLn.-h way to tun;, if 
■iuddenlj' disturbed, well in oiner respects. Wiiat 
•.s the matter ? 

It is vertigo; cause, tt o n~tich ijlocd, or 
too fat. Cure, keep her in a cool, shady 
place, feed sparingly, and give her occas- 
ionally three grains of ja.ap. 



J.'>. C(ttti rr/i. —Wiiiii is catarrh and how 
can it. be care<l '/ 

Catarrh in fowls is only another luime 
for cold in the head; the general symp- 
toms are a waterv discharge from the eyes 
and nostrils. Catarrh is identical in ap- 
pearance with the first stages of the r<jup. 
If it extends to the air tubes, then it is 
called bronchitis, and one of the symptoms 
is the coughing of the fowl. As soon as 
the watery discharge at the nostrils is dis- 
covered, the fowl should be taken to a dry, 
warm room and fed sparingly on soft focjd 
either warm or luke-warm, and aconite 
should be mixed with the drinking water 
in the proportion of eight drops of the 
tincture to a pint of water. If the dis- 
charge at the beak becomes of a pulritl 
and offensive character, you may ccjnsi- 
der that the fowl has the roup. In all 
cases of catarrh look out fur roup. 



4G. Sour Clocir-JCn.iil ft {/<'.— My liei.s are 
very loose ; what would tie good to heh) it .■' I 
fed them some clovi-r put up in barrels, but it is 
all wet and seems sour. I steamed it and iireu 
mixed meal with it for their iiioniing leeJ. I 
give boiled potatoes with meal, also. 

The ensilage is sour and rotten proi;ably, 
and unfit to use. Give each fowl a tea- 
spoonful of castor oil, and follow it up a 
few hours later with 5 grains of rhubarb 



24 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



and lo grains of carbonate of soda, or, if 
you prefer, one grain of opium. If the 
diarrhoea is severe a pill containing one 
grain each of tannic acid and opium 
would be effectual. During the attack, 
and for a little time after, feed soft food 
only, and no green vegetables. 



47. Sore Head. — What is a good remedy 
for sore head in fowls ? 

Epsom salts is the best remedy for sore- 
head. Salts will cure all ordinary cases, 
and will certainly prevent this disagreeable 
disease spreading in flock. Feed in soft 
food or jjut in drinking water. A table- 
spoonful to a gallon of dough or a gallon 
of drinking water is the proportion. Con- 
tinue its use every other day until disease 
is eradicated from the flock. In addition 
to salts in the water, take equal parts pul- 
verized table salt, bluestone and lard, or 
axle grease, well mixed, and grease the 
head and face of tha fowls or chicks that 
are affecttd. 



4.V. Oisinfeetatit. — Give a recipe for a 
chwip but eft'i;'cri\e disinfectant 

A cheap and good disinfectant to usj 
about poultry houses and yards when con- 
tagious fowl diseases are present or feared, 
is made by dissolving three pounds of cop- 
peras in five gallons of water, and adding 
one pint of crude carbolic acid. Sprinkle 
about the house and yard with a common 
watering-pot. 



4!t. Jironiidc of I'itfa.tJi. — Ho'.v shtuld 
Bromide of Potash be ackniuistered to fowls ? 

Bromide of potash is recommended for 

roup and brain disorders. Give 5 to 7 

grains a day, to each sick fowl, also gargle 

the throats with kerosene oil, and inject a 

few drops into the nostrils. As a pre\e t- 

ive of roup, give two grains to each foul 

in their drinking water. 



SO. Condition Poirders.—'WiU you give 
a formu a for a good condition powdery 

Carbonate of iron, i oz: Anise Seed, 2 

oz; Powdered Ginger, 6 oz; Mustard, i 



oz: Table Salt, 2 oz; Sulphur, 2 oz; Licor- 
ice, 4 oz; Powdered Charcoal, 14 oz. 
These powdered and mixed thoroughly 
make two pounds of good condition pow- 
ders, and if kept in a tight box will be 
serviceable for a long time. A teaspoon- 
ful in ten quarts of soft feed, or in that 
proportion, fed every day in warm weather, 
or every other day in stormy and cold 
weather will prove of service. For grow- 
ing chicks, one-half the amount of pow- 
ders in the same quantity of feed is suffi- 
cient. A teaspoonful of the tincture of 
iron to each gallon of drinking water 
should be provided in all bad seasons. 



.'>!. I.Hiiif/Ifiss' M i.ttiife. — What is Doug- 
lass's JJixture ■/ 

Douglass' Mixture, one of the best poul- 
try tonics, is made as follows: Dissolve 
one pound of sulphate of iron (copperas) 
in two gallons of water, adding 2 ounces of 
sulphuric acid. (Handle the sulphuric 
acid carefully, as it is a deadly poison). 
Dose, I oz. to each quart of drinking 
water. Do not use this oftener than once 
or twice a week. 



S3. Frosted Comb Is there a cure for 

frosted combs '; 

A cure for frosted or frozen combs and 

wattles is equal parts of turpentine and 

sweet oil applied twice daily as soon as 

discovered. Glycerine is also good. 



!>S. Tent Gieet.—'^ily chickens, young and 
old, seem to be drooping. Tliey are fed whole 
corn, oats and wheat middlings They appear 
to be loose, also; examination shows a sore at 
vent, from which matter runs and a very dis- 
agreeable odor. Do you think the best cure is 
an axe ': 

It is impossible to guess the difficulty 
with the drooping fowls, young or old. 
It may be lice — a very fruitful source of 
drooping and debility; and it may be im- 
proper feeding and want of grit to grind 
the food. 1 he latter is one of the most 
frequent causes of indigestion and kindred 
troubles. Vent gleet is due to inflamma- 
tory action in the mucous membrane lin- 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



ing the Cloaca, i. e., the chamber or 
pouch connected with the rectum, and into 
which is received the urinary and genital 
ducts. It is contagious. Administer half 
a teaspoonful of Epsom salts; bathe the 
vent with warm barley water, taking care 
to remove all incrustation; then inject 
twice or thrice daily one part carbolic acid 
to forty of olive oil, using a desert spoon- 
ful each time. On the third day com- 
mence with copaiba, giving three drops 
twice a day in a teaspoonful of linseed oil. 
The diet must be perfectly plain and un- 
stimulating, and so long as the disease 
continues the bird should be isolated. 



m. Insects ill Jifooili-r. —^lay I ask you 

how to remove the insects trom my chicks, three 
days old, now in a brooder, liatched by hens y 

Dust them with /res/i insect powder 
every day, and rub the brooder with kero- 
sene oil. Smear a few drops of warm 
lard on the heads and necks of the chicks 
twice a week. 



S5. Lice A {/a in. — What is wronfr with fowls 
when they stand with heads tlirown back on 
shoulders, and legs weak Wiil fowls when 
affected Avith lice show a difference in droppings. 
What is wrong with chicks when their th'oppings 
are yellowish and green ? 

A reply to all of the above is that there 
is a probability that your fowls have the 
large lice on the skin of the head and 
necks. Apply warm lard oil. Clean up 
the premises. 



Anoint with one part spirits turpentine and 
two parts glycerine. 

.f8. CrookerJ Breast iJojips.— What causes 
crooked breast bones r 

Crowding together. Also improperly 
constructed roosts. 



J>9. Jioil on Foot.— Please inform me how 
to cure a boil on top of the foot of a hen. It ex 
tends under her foot also. She can scarcely 
walk. 

It may be bumble foot, due to high 
roost. If soft, lance it and wash once a 
day with a solution ot twenty drops car- 
bolic acid in a gill of warm water. Keep 
it bound up with a soft rag saturated with 
warm mutton suet. 



OO. Sit»ii>toinsofIn<liffcsfion. Will you 
tell me if clie lollowing are symptoms of cholera: 
greenish, yellow diarrhcea; little appetite: heads 
bright; live about ten days or two weeks; have 
lost four y 

It is not cholera. Fowls always have 
intense thirst with cholera. It is indiges- 
tion. Avoid all grain food for awhile, 
and give pounded crockery ware for grit. 
A tablespoon of ground ginger, in soft 
food, once a day. for ten hens, v.-ill be 
beneficial. 



30. ll'dfts. Can you tell me what will cure 
warts on chickens ? We have one, a Leghorn 
pullet, that has eight on her face, tv.-o of which 
are on her eye. They are growing rapidly, and 
w^e fear will close the eye entirely. What causes 
it? 

It may be chicken pox, or the work of a 
minute parasite. Try an ointment, appli- 
ed daily, for a week, of ten parts sweet oil, 
one part spirits turpentine, one of cedar 
o 1, and half part carbolic a:id. 



rti. ,S<-oM »•(■/»<■/.— Have a game pullet that 
has not laid for a' mouth. Her manure is very 
soft, like white of an egg. and it stays arotmd 
the vent. Her comb is beginning to shrink: she 
will drink a little, but not eat nuich. Could find 
no lice. 

The pullet is probably scouring, caused 
perhaps, by too much soft food, certainly 
by improper diet. Calomel and blue mass, 
in two grain doses, or four grains of blue 
mass mixed with two grains each of cay- 
enne pepper and gum camphor, may be 
given twice a day. After the character of 
the evacuations has changed, become 
darker and more solid, give tonics of iron 
and cayenne pepper in very small doses 
for a time. 



Of. Lumps OH liiU.— What isthecauseot 63. Liver Disease. —Three of my liens 
the dark brown excrescences dumps) tbatap- died. One seemed perfectly healthy, was laying 
pear on the bills of fowls, and also upon the soft nearly eveiy day, had a red comb, and I could 
tissues of the head ? see nothing the matter with it. The liver of an- 

other was five times as large as it should be. and 
Probably due to parasitic causes, the other had been ailing quite a while, but 



26 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



would always eat. The liver of this one had 
haril wliite spots as larsre as a quarter-dollar on 
it. Is this cholera or liver complaint ? 

Should say the last was liver disease, 
second enlargement of the liver, (or fatty 
degeneration of liver), and the first apo- 
plexy. Fowls not infrequently drop dead 
of this trt)uble. One evening a fowl 
fluttered and fell from the roost as the 
writer turned to leave the pen after looking 
things over, and she was dead (though 
limp) when he got to her two seconds 
later. There are no warning symptoms in 
such a case ; the fowl simply drops dead. 
The last case sited above certainly wasn't 
cholera, •' which is accompanied by a 
violent diarrhoea, and is rapidly fatal." 
Small doses of mercury, folic >v.-ed by cod 
liver oil, are recommended ; the hatchet is 
surest. 



It is the work of a parasite. Anoint 
once a week with melteil lard. 



«6'. So7-e Eijcs. — My cliicks are troubled 
with soi'e eyes. Th.^y swell, run and stick to- 
gether, but after th.ey are washed and open they 
are all iii<ht, but che nc-xt morning it is the 
same. The chick.s are not sick. What is the 
cause and remedy '/ 

Keep them from draughts. It is simply 

cold in the eyes, due to wind. Anoint 

with a few drops c^f glycerine once a day. 



07. fivtfiliial If'fi.itiii)/. — What is the mat- 
ter with my fo.vis '/ lliey have their liberty and 
plenty of tee'l. but bfcome pool' and i)Oorer, 
gradually wasting away, and dying after a 
month The.>- also have diarrhoea. 

Probably the large tick lice are at work. 

Grease heads and necks twice a week, 

with warm lard. 



O.'i. Tiiiiioi- — About the 2M of February a 

sore al.Hjuc the size of walnut appeai'ed on 
one of my hen's necks. I tried several remedies, 
including cainphor and lai'd. coal oil, etc., but 
not beina: relieved, killed her. What was the 
cause of it ? 

It may have been a tumor, but such 

swellings are often due to the effects of 

roup, which remains in the blood, only to 

find vent in such manner. You did right 

to destroy the bird. 

04. Tjftch of Gi'if. I had several jsullets 
sick, anil one died. Their crops were full of 
food, and quite hard. I fed soft food in the 
piorning. and grain at no(jn and night. AVhat is 
in their crojis had been thei'e several davs. A 
neighbor thought it was crop bound, but I don't 
think so many would be attacked at one time. 

■ This is probably want of grit. The 

want of grit in the crop and gizzard is to 

a fowl what lack of teeth would be to us. 

A toothless person could h^ fed on soups, 

etc., and life sustained ; but 'twould be a 

profitless existence. What can biddy do 

when she has nothing with which to grind 

up the food in the gizzard? She simply 

starves to death. Lack of grit is one of 

the most f«-uitful causes of fowl ills that 

we have. 



';,>. (Unisf of ScaUj Ia'(js. — What is the 
cause of scali-s on the legs of fowls, and what is 
the best remedy to remove them ': 



(SS. Cculit'i- — ?Iy hens have some kind of a 
disease. They choke, their mouths are filled 
with hard matter, and if you take it off it will 
bleed. Their eyes run matter 

They have canker. 

With a soft rag, on a stick, swab the 
mouths with a soltition made by dissolv- 
ing a piece of blue vitriol, as large as a 
chestnut, in a gill of water. Inject a few 
drops t;f kerosene in each nostril. 



«.'/. Tilt' riovidii rh;i .—\\\\&t will kill the 
Fliirida cliickeu Ilea r It is something like a 
Siiialltick. burying its head in the flesii around 
the eyes, on tlie combs, or wherever it can find 
a place aViout the head free from feathers, but 
it jumps like a flea. 

Try anointing the head with the follow- 
ing : Cotton seed oil or lard, one gill ; 
oil of peni y.oyal, one teaspoonful ; oil of 
sassafras, (ine teaspoonful. They are not 
easily driven off. 



7<). iLutf rills. — Having some fowls affect- 
ed -with inflammarion of the bowels, or enteritis, 
would like to know its cause. 

Enteritis, or inflammation of the bowels, 
is a common disorder among poultry. It has 
so many symptoms in common with 
chicken cholera, is so rapid in its course, 
that many pr(;nounce it real cholera. 
Acute, chronic, dysenteric and mem- 
branous enteritis are the most common 
forms. Acute enteritis is a disease that 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



27 



often attacks fowls occupying confined 
runs and uncleanly kept houses, or those 
fed on damaged grains, decomposed meat 
or sour meal and irritating seeds or plants. 
It is occasionally caused by surfeiting the 
fowls with improper food, indigestion, the 
rupture of an ovum and its escape into the 
abdominal cavity, sharp splinters of bone 
piercing some of the intestines, etc. The 
first period of the disease often passes un- 
noticed, especially where the poultry does 
not receive the closest attention. How- 
ever the first day the bird is dejected, 
loses its naturally healthy and cheerful 
appearance, and is without appetite. The 
second day the crop is found empty, the 
beak slightly opened, the mucus membrane 
of the mouth dry, the pulse quick and 
irregular, and the skin hot. From this 
time the symptoms become intensified as 
the disease preigresses. A diarrhoea is 
noticed from the first — the matter passed 
being at first nearly solid, then becoming 
semi-liquid and finally 'very thin ; serous, 
of a whitish, grayish, yellowish color, and 
a disagreeable odor. The course of the 
disease does not extend over three or four 
days, and unless its severity is mitigated, 
either by natural causes or proper treat- 
ment; the bird at this time indicates 
extreme suffering by agitating its wings, 
stretching its neck and frequently opening 
its mouth — death soon followint;-. 



7J. Milter Cfop. — How is water crop dc- 
seribed anil how treated ? 

The symptoms of a bird with water crop 

is a poor appetite, but it craves and 

drinks water until its crop is distended and 

becomes sour. To treat, take a bowl of 

warm water, in which dissolve a quarter 

of a teaspoon of baking soda, and take 

the fowl's head in the left hand and with 

the body under the arm, holding head 

dt)wnward, with the neck distended, hold 



the beak open with the right hand and 
manipulate the contents of the crop down 
and out of the mouth. Then give a good 
dose of soda water ; a spoonful is 
sufficient. Manipulate as before, rinsing 
out the crop well and being careful not to 
irritate the crop so as to cause inflamma- 
tion. Coop the chick by itself, feed spar- 
ingly a few days with bread and scraps 
from the table, with a sprinkling of char- 
coal. Put five drops of nitric acid in the 
drinking w'ater. This will generally cure it. 



72. J\if(i Tfoinxl — ■'Vbatare the sj-mptoms 
and treatment of tliis difficulty? 

The hen comes off the nest without lay- 
ing and walks about distressed, hanging 
down her wings. Sometimes she remains 
on the nest. Give a full dose of castor oi'. 
If this is unsuccessful, wash the vent well 
with warm water and then pass in an oiled 
feather, or better, inject an ounce of sweet 
oil. The egg is too large. This is more 
common with Polish fowls. Eggs have 
been known to accumulate here and form 
a large tumor. 



73, Jferiiia — How shall hernia he treated 
in fowls'? 

Sometimes the parts which protrude may 
be returned by bathing them in blood warm 
water, oiling them and pressing back" 
gently. Feed the hen on food that is not 
productive of eggs, stich as rice or pota- 
toes, and counteract any tendency toward 
inflammation. 



74, Sore Eyes — Have a fowl that has sore 
eyes bnt does not appear to have roup. What 
about her ? 

Fowls sometimes suffer from a tempo- 
rary blindness when they do not have 
roup. Make a wash of weak white vitriol, 
or alum water, or alum and camphor 
combined. 



CHAPTER III. 



ABOUT EGGS, 



1 Cure for Curs Please let me know 

how to prevent my setter dog from eating eggs. 

Place blown eggs containing red pep- 
per where he can get them. It is not easy 
to cure such a dog. 



2. About Jiarh S/uli.s.—Do all pure 
Light Brahmas lay a rlark brown ei^g ? Out of 
my flock of fifteen a few lay dark brown eggs, 
the others very light brown. Wliat other breeds 
are there that lay dark brown eggs ? Do any of 
the Plymouth Rocks lay them ? 

The Brahmas, both Light and Dark, 
lay brozvn eggs. Some are darker brown 
than others, and if you want a very dark 
brown egg you should hatch chickens 
from the very dark eggs only; by that 
means you could, in two or three genera- 
tions, get a strain that would lay all 
coffee colored eggs. The Cochins and 
Langshans — the Asiatic varieties, also the 
Javas lay brown eggs. There is a strain 
of Plymouth Rocks that lay a quite brown 
egg, some of them very dark brown, rang- 
ing from that to cream color. Have 
known of a White Wyandotte hen that 
lay an egg as dark brown as the average 
Brahma egg. So dark were they that a 
customer wrote us that we had put a 
Brahma egg into a basket of White Wyan- 
dotte eggs sent him. 



3. Prescrrhifj With Hot V'ater. 

— I have recently seen a methotl of preserving 
eggs V)y placing them in a wire basket and drop- 
ping tljein in boiling water The party who 
gave this method, said eggs so served could not 
be distingiiisl'.ed after six months from fresh 
laid eggs. Pie kept them on the big end. 



Boiling water will hermetically seal the 
pores and aid in preserving the eggs, but 
will not prevent them from becoming stale 
in six months. Try it on a small scale 



hrst. 



4. Average Production — How many 
dozen eggs will a fair hen average to lay in a 

year ? 

If he lays ten dozens she will do well. 
Eight dozens is nearer the average. 



S. Chnnge of 3taJe — How long after 
changing roosters should eggs be taken foi' 
hatching ? 

About one month. 



a. How Much Cold.— How many degrees of 
cold will eggs (that are being saved for hatch- 
ing) stand, and not spoil them for hatching [hu-- 
poses ? 

Should not be exposed to lower than 40 
degrees above zero. An egg freezes at 
about 10 degrees above zero, which kills 
h aerm. 



7. The White and Yolk — What makes 
the white of an egg so large and the yolk so 
small ? 

Due to greater amount of water. 



S. How Piwliiic— Please let me know 
ho,v man^^ eggs Leghorns, Black Spanish. 
iMinorcas. Hamburgs. Light Brahmas, Plymouth 
Rocks and Wyandottes lay in a year on an aver- 
age ? 

The Leghorns, Black Spanish, Minorcas 

and Hamburgs, are usually credited with 

about 200 a piece a year; Light Brahmas 

about 100 to 125; the Plymouth Rocks 

and Wyandottes about 150. 



Five Hundrkd Questions and Answers. 



29 



.*>. I'aching for Shipment.— \X\\a.t is the 

best method of packing eggs for shipment? 

In packing eggs, it is now universally 
the custom to wrap each egg in paper; 
this is an essential precaution. But in re- 
gard to the material used for filling in be- 
tween the eggs, man}- sorts are used, but 
all are not good. Some breeders use 
cedar and other hard wood, in the form of 
small chips, nearly the size of peas. This 
is bad, as being wholly wanting in elas- 
ticity. Of the sorts in general use, the 
chaff from a hay mow is least objection- 
able, as eggs packed in it frequently go 
long distances without breaking and hatch 
vv'ell. But in our estimation the \Qvy best 
material for packing, and one well adapt- 
ed to come into general use, is well dried 
sawdust, from hard wood; that from pine 
is objectionable, as there is a possibility 
that the turpentine contained in it may in- 
jure the vitality of the eggs, and therefore 
it is best avoided. 

As to the covering placed over the bas- 
ket, when the eggs and the final layer of 
packing are in, a piece of cotton cloth, cut 
to turn down and be secured on the sides, is 
the one most generally used. But we have 
a much better covering to recommend. 
Where cloth is used, the most customary 
way of fastening it is by using carpet needle 
and cotton twine, sewing it down with a 
few long stitches, through the interstices of 
the splints. Incredible as it may appear, 
we have seen baskets of eggs sent out by a 
breeder, where this cloth cover was secured 
by incks driven with a hammer, entirely 
around the hoop which formed the top of 
the basket. Inquiry brought out the fact 
that the eggs shipped by this breeder were 
almost a total failure in point of hatching. 
Any one who has seen the care with which 
a sitting hen or turkey, on returning to her 
nest, creeps upon the eggs for which she 
has so tender an instinct, feels that the 
harsh contact of hammer and tacks with 
valuable eggs containing the germs of life 
is not in harmony with natural laws. 



10. Small ill Size. — ^Vliat will cure a hen 
of laying eggs far t so small for her size ? 

The trouble with such hens is that they 
are too old to be of any further use. Such 
eggs are sterile. When hens are young and 
do thus, the cause is generally high feeding, 
and a course of light diet will help the mat- 
ter. The venerable hen may have been 
useful in her day, but now she needs to be 
quietly seized, decapitated, dressed and sent 
away to parboil slowly for a few hours, then 
browned quickly in a hot oven. 



11. Dijfrreiit Flin'ov.i —Can the tiavor of 
eggs be clianged by tlie feed ': 

To have eggs of fine flavor the hens 

should be fed on clean food. Fowls fed on 

putrid meat, decayed or decaying animal 

substances, will lay eggs not fit to eat. 

Proof of how the food affects the egg may 

be had by feeding a number of hens on 

onions for a certain period. The eggs will 

become so strongly tainted with the onion 

flavor as to be unpalatable. Where the 

farmer allows his fowls unlimited range, it 

may be said that it is impossible to contro 

their feed, but under no circumstances 

should the fowls be allowed access to filthy 

substances. 



12. Soft-Slulh d Laijcrs.—l am just start- 
ing in miwmg chickens, and would like a little 
iuformation. My pullets have plenty of lime in 
the shape of plastering and oyster shells, but 
some of them lay soft-shelled eggs, and I should 
like very uuich to know what I should do to stop 
them. 

Without going into the discussion as to 
whether oyster shell and lime will prevent 
fowls laying soft-shelled eggs, we may say 
that the probable cause of your pullet->' eggs 
being destitute of the usual calcareous cover- 
ing is to be found in one of three directions : 
they are either too fat, do not have exercise 
enough or there is something wrong with 
the egg-producing organs. Some hens ob- 
stinately continue to lay soft-shelled eggs, 
no matter how they are fed or managed. 
And in such cases we can safely conclude 
that they are not perfectly healthy, and the 
best of all cures is a free range, with plenty 
of green food and exercise. 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



13. Should Tliey Kest. Does It injure 
eggs to ship tliem long distances ? and how long 
should they rest before being put in incubators? 

There is a foolish notion prevailing among 
some fowl breeders, that eggs which have 
been shipped a distance should rest a day 
or two before being placed in an incubator 
As soon as the hens are ready to set, or the 
incubator ready for work, place the eggs 
under or in at once; they will rest as com- 
fortably in either place as elsewhere, in fact, 
better; for everybody knows that the fresher 
the eggs the more chicks they will yield, 
and the healthier the chicks. The germ 
floats to the top of the egg, and will find its 
way there in a half minute, at the most, if 
revolved a hundred times an hour; and the 
yelk will find its place just as soon if it has 
not been broken, in which case it might rest 
a month or a year and never hatch We 
have tried numerous lots of eggs, travelling 
from 80 to 3,500 miles, and always found 
that the sooner incubation was started the 
better the result. 



2^. Dark niicl White in Color.— 

Which breeds of fowls lay dark colored eggs y 
AVhieli lay white '/ ' 

Either of the following breeds will be 
found to lay dark, viz : Cochins, Brahmas, 
Wyandottes, Plymouth Rocks or Langshans. 
Where eggs with white shells are wished, 
they will be produced by Leghorns, Minor- 
cas, Andalusians, Polands, Hamburgs, 
Games, Houdans or Dorkings. Where both 
are required, Plymouth Rocks or Wyan- 
dottes, with the Leghorn or Minorcas, will 
be found to fill the demand most satisfact- 
orily. 



15. Some Q»jerjt»s. 1 . How long can one 
keep eggs for setting. without injury ? 2. Should 
they be turned; if so how often ? 3. What is 
the best position to keep them in V 

I. From one to two weeks if properly 

cared for, but the fresher they are set the 

better the results will be. 2. At least every 

other day. 3. Lying on the side. 



26. Grrenfer F'rcxluct ion. —Can egg 

production be increased ? 

To increase the laying, every other day 



give one teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, 
pulverized, to one dozen fowls with their 
food. Keep hens free from lice. 



17. About Imports. Can you give me 
some idea of the amount of eggs imported '/ 

Statistics show us that 17 eggs are annu- 
ally imported from France for every man, 
woman and child of this population, bear- 
ing in mind the large importations from Ire- 
land and other countries, and the large 
number produced here, proves the great im- 
portance of eggs as a national food. As- 
suming the population of France to be 
thirty-seven to forty millions and to be di- 
vided into families of five, for every single 
individual over 14 eggs are exported annu- 
ally, and the value of even the English trade 
exceeds i £ sterling for every six families 
in the nation. As a rule, egg production is 
the best part of the business where fowls 
are raised for market. 



IS. Ifow to T'est. When should incu- 
bating eggs be tested and how ': 

Eggs ought to be tested when seven days 
old. This is done by holding them before 
a candle or strong light, and looking 
through them, the hand shading the light 
from the eyes. If clear the egg is infertile, 
bu is quite good for cooking. If it is dark 
ill the centre, shading off to lighter at the 
edges, it is fertile. Two days before hatch- 
ing they can again be tested, but in water 
heated to 105 degrees, or as hot as the 
hand can bear it. The eggs containing hve 
chickens will be seen to jump about, while 
the dead eggs will either sink or float move- 
lessly. This water test will soften the shell 
and assist hatching. 



10. C/fissif/cafion.— How are eggs 
classified in the market ? 

The Boston Chamber of Commerce has 
decided to classify eggs as follows: Extras, 
firsts, seconds, thirds and known marks. 
Extras shall comprise the very best qualities 
fresh-laid, clean eggs in season, put up in 
the best manner, where every condition nec- 
essary to place fine eggs in Boston market 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



has been complied with Firsts shall com- 
prise fine marks of eggs such as come in 
carload lo's, or smaller lots, and are packed 
in fine order, fresh in season an^ reasonably 
clean, such stock as gives satisfaction to most 
c insumers. Seconits shall comprise all 
stock that is merchantable and inferior to 
firsts. Thirds shall comprise all poor stock 
in bad order, rotten, etc.; stock not con- 
sidered really merchantable. Known marks 
shall comprise such sorts as are well known 
to the trade under some particular designa- 
tion or mark, shall be of such quality as 
those familiar with the mark generally un- 
derstand it to be, in the season in which it 
is offered. Extra to pass at the mark must 
not lose to exceed one dozen per loo dozen, 
and firsts not more than two dozen per loo 
or one and a half dozen per barrel, if sold 
in barrels 



'Jl. How tf> f^aeli in Jar.s.— Will you 

state a good method of packing eggs ': 

Slake a peck of clean lime, pour in si.x 
pails of water and drop in three quarts of 
salt. Stir until all is dissoK'ed; then let it 
settle and it is ready for use Pack the eggs 
in jars, pour on the thinner lime water, 
cover the jar with a cluth, and over this 
spread a coati' g of the thicker portion of 
the lime. The eggs will keep as long as 
you will wish them to. The jars must not 
be filled too full, as the water must never be 
allowed to get below the tops of the eggs. 
Each peck of lime will preserve more than 
a hundred dozen of eggs. A si.\ gallon 
jar will hold twenty dozen if rightly packed. 
The expense is very little, the jars will last 
many years, and the returns are sure and 
not far in the future. 



30 Wash/nir Bt-fore Incnhntlon. 

— Is it not a good plau to wash eggs tiiat come 
from otiier yards, before incubation ? 

Before eggs obtained from strange yards 
are placed under a hen, or into a hatching 
machine, they should be car- fully washed 
with soap and warm water, rinsed in clean 
water, and wiped quite dry. If this is care- 
fully done there is not any possibility of in- 
juring the eggs; on the contrary, they will 
be in better conHition, as the pores of the 
shell have been freed from dirt We believe 
that disease germs may be conveyed in the 
dirt attached to the shell of an egg. Do not 
wash the eggs undl they are about to be 
placed in a machine or under a hen. We 
would suggest that it is advisable to lower 
the temperature in incubators during the 
last three days of incubation. Our reasons 
a:e based on the fact that the chick, for at 
least forty-eight hours before it chips the 
shell, has sufficient animal heat of its own to 
sustain life and hatch out in an outside tem- 
perature of less than 80 degrees. Therefore, 
during the last few days, there is evidently 
no need to keep up the usual high tempera- 
ture, which, we consider, is injurious to the 
chicks, and may account for many deaths in 
the shell. 



2'J. Dry I'ncUiTiijr. Is dry packing as 
safe as moist packing for eggs? 

Dry packing for eggs is as safe as wet 
packing at.d much more convenient, but 
eggs must be kept from the air and turned 
twice per week or they will adhere to the 
shell. Pack in small boxes with light covers 
so they may be turned over without handl- 
ing the eggs. Use dry salt, dust, plaster, 
fine ashes, or meal and keep in a cool place, 
40 to 60 degrees. By this means strictly 
fresh eggs may be kept from two to six 
months and frequently one, by holding them 
three monihs, will find a rise of 5 to 12 
cents per dozen. Infertile eggs keep better 
than fertile ones. To sell eggs at 12 to 16 
cents, as many do, is folly, and although 
preserved eggs du not look as well nor 
bring quite the price uf fresh ones, they 
may be depdded on and the process pay-. 



23. The Heat Temperature. — V,'in 

you please inform me at what temperature eggs 
for liatclnng should be kept, and if it is best to 
keep theoi m the cellar providing it is warm 
enough ? 

Not over 60 degrees, if possible — the 

cooler the better. Turn them three times a 

week, half over. They should keep a month 

and hatch. 



CHAPTER IV. 



INCUBATORS AND INCUBATION. 



XJSKFUL HULES. 



Mr. P. H. Jacobs, in his Poultry Keeper, 
gives some rules which may be useful. 
Whenever you wish to ask a question about 
incuVjators look over these: — 

RULES FOR HATCHING. 

1. Hatching chicks with incubator is a 
ivititer pursuit. 

2. The hen seldom sits in winter, hence 
she and the incubator do not conflict. 

3. Eggs in winter should not hatch as 
well as eggs under hens in April. 

4. Hens that lay in winter cannot pro- 
duce as fertile eggs at that time as in the 
spring, for the cold season prevents exercise, 
the hens become fat, and the pullets are not 
as fully matured, while the male, if he has a 
frosted comb, suffers from cold, or becomes 
too fat, is unserviceable. 

5. Eggs are sometimes chilled in winter. 
When you buy them you take many chances. 

6. Do not use extra large eggs, or small 
eggs. Have all eggs of normal size, and 
of perfect shape. 

7. In winter the hen will not hatch one- 
half of her eggs nor raise one-third of her 
chicks. 

8. Do not be afraid to watch your incu- 
bator. It pays as well to keep awake all 
night to watch a hundred chicks hatch out 
as it does to keep awake to save a $5 calf 
from loss when it is dropped, and the chicks 
are worth more than the calf. 



9. No incubator has brains. It will 
regulate, but cannot think. 

10. When chicks die in the shell the 
chances are that too much draught of air 
came over them. When a hen is hatching 
she will fight if even a feather is lifted from 
her. She will allow not the slightest change 
of temperature, and she will hatch as well 
in a dry place as in a moist location. 

11. Dry, warm nests in winter, and 
moist nests in summer, is an old proverb, 
hence the moisture depends on the season. 
Less is required in the incubator in winter. 

12. Thermometers change. A ther- 
mometer may be correct one week and 
wrong the next. They should be tested 
frequently. 

13. As the chicks progress in the eggs 
they give off heat, hence be careful of the 
lamp, hot water, or whatever the source of 
heat may be. 

14. Too much moisture covers the egg 
and excludes the air from the chicks within 
the eggs. 

15. No currents of air can pass through 
an incubator without a plentiful supply of 
moisture but in incubators that have no 
currents but little moisture is needed. 

16. Do not labor under the delusion that 
a young chick is always dying in the shell 
for lack of fresh air, and that it must have 
as much as a young animal. 

17. Do not take out the chicks until you 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



33 



believe all are hatched. Leave the chicks 
in the incubator. If you take them out the 
heat will suddenly drop, and yoi^will also 
let in the cold air on the eggs, ^ever dis- 
turb the eggs 7vhen chicks are hatching. 

1 8. Test your incubator with moisture, 
no moisture, plenty of air, and air shut off, 
as each incubator may differ from the other. 

19. Eggs will be aired sufficiently when 
the eggs are turned. It is of no conse- 
quence to cool them, but this depends on 
circumstances. 

20. If the chicks do not hatch out by 
the twenty first day your heat is too low. 

21. If the chicks begin to hatch on the 
eighteenth day your heat is rather high. 

22. Do not put eggs in at different 
periods during the hatch, and do not hatch 
ducklings and chicks together. 

23. The same rules apply to the eggs of 
hens, ducks, turkeys, and guineas, as regards 
heat and moisture. 

24. Never sprinkle eggs. It lowers the 
heat instantly, and sometimes kills the chicks 
in the shells. 

25. If the incubator shows moisture on 
the glass do not open the egg drawer until 
It is dry. Cold air and dampness kills the 
chick, the heat bting lowered by rapid 
evaporation. 

26. The reason why the hen \.\\dii steals her 
nest hatches so well is because you do not 
give her all sorts of eggs, such as large 
eggs, small eggs, and eggs from old hens 
and immature pullets, such as you put in 
your incubator. 

27. Kick away the curious visitor just 
when your eggs are hatching. 

28. Keep the incubator in a place of 
moderate temperature. A window on 
one side will make that side cooler than 
the other. 

29. Don't expect to hatch without 
work. The man who expects to get 
chicks by trusting to the regulator to keep 
the heat regular does not deserve success. 
Work is required for other stock that need 



winter care, and the artificial hen is no ex- 
ception. 

30. Begin with a loo-egg incubator, 
and learn, before you try a larger one. 

31. No matter how much you read, 
experience will be the best teacher. 

32. Have your incubator warm before 
you put in the eggs. 

33. A child cannot manage an incu- 
bator, all claims to the contrary. Incu 
bators are not toys. Don't turn over a 
man's work to a boy. 

34. Let the bulb of the thermometer 
touch a fertile egg. 



35. Without A^rtlficifd ITcfit.— Two weeks 
heuce I wish to remove chicks then twenty-five 
days old from indoor brooder to enclosure out- 
side. Will It be iiraeticable without artificial 
heat? 

It would be very risky, as most chicks 
at that age are still unfledged; conse- 
quently liable to be chilled of a cold night, 
or in a cold storm. We do not like to 
move out our chicks till they are about 
six weeks old, and it was so cold through- 
out the first half of May we didn't move 
any out till they were almost eight weeks 
old. 



30. Turning l^Uifs. — How long can eggs 
be kept good for hatchitig? Should they be 
turned daily, and should they be kept in a close 
room ? 

The fresher eggs are when set the better; 

but they can be kept some weeks, four t(; 

six, if carefully attended to. They should 

be kept in an even temperature of about 

45 to 50 degrees (a dry cellar is best if not 

too cold) and should be turned (by gentle 

handling) every other day. 



37. Moisture — If I keep a pan of water in 
my incubator, and wet sponges under the egg- 
drawer, (which has a cloth bottom) is there any 
need of keeping wet sponges in with the eggs? 

No. The water pan alone is sufficient. 
Incubator managers use much less mois- 
ture than a few years ago, and are ex- 
perimenting towards still less, some ad- 
vocating none whatever. In our 600-egg 
machine, instead of putting in the four 
moisture pans at the start, and having 



34 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



moisture all the hatch, we put in two pans | No. Not if they are handled carefully 
only for the last week or ten days, and ! and not exposed to cold air too long. If 



find it ample. Some that we know put in 
no moisture till the iSth day, and then 
■only a wet sponge in each tray. 



3S. San-dust, rfc.—'W'ha.t material can I 
se in place of sawdust in an incubator. 

Bran or chaff of any kind of grain, will 



30. WIh-ii to Staff Iticahator. - How 
■earlj- can I start an iuculjator. and will I have to 
'keep it \\'lLere it won't freeze, or would it be 
better to let the hens set and take care of the 
chicks that early - 

October is usually the time to begin. It 
should be in a place of moderate tempera- 
ture. You cannot use hens that early, as 
they may not be broody. 



40. A 4<H)-T:(fei Machine.— Give dimen- 
sii>ns for a 4iXi egK hot wati-r incubator. Is it 
necessary to have the tank pi'oportionateiy 
largi'r tlian a IHO egg incubator? 

To estimate the capai ity allow four 

square inches for each egg. Hence tank 

for 400-egg incubator should be 1600 

square inches or 40x40 inches. If preferred 

it may be about 35x45. or of any shape 

desired. 



4t. -Kf/f/.s Too Hot. — If eggs get too hot in 
an incubator should they be sprinkled with warm 
\\ater to cool theniV Are eggs roasted if tlie 
beat reaches 110 degrees? 

Eggs that are too hot can be cooled by 
sprinkling them with warm water; but 
great care must be exercised, or they will 
be cooled too quickly by the rapid evapo- 
ration of the water. A good way to re- 
duce the temperature of both incubator 
and eggs is to put from a pint to a quart 
of cold water into the tank, drawing off a 
similar quantity of hot water from the 
cock, and open the egg chamber door for 
a couple of minutes; then close it two or 
three minutes, and repeat. In this way 
the temperature of the egg chamber is re- 
duced gradually, and the eggs don't get 
chilled. 



4'i. Ilandliufi jE,V/j/*.— Does it do harm to 
liandle the eggs, such as testing them, or chang- 
ing them from one machine to another after 
they liave been in the incubator three days? 



testing eggs in a cool room it is well to 
warm a couple of blankets folded to be a 
little larger than the egg-tray. Cover the 
untested eggs with one warm blanket and 
spread the other over another tray, and 
slip the eggs under as fast as tested. In 
this way chilling the eggs can be avoided. 



43. Too Much Moisture.— Can I get too 

much moisture in the machine? After the eggs 
had been in three days I set two baking pans of 
water under ihe egg trays and sprinkled the 
e ZIPS twice a clay. 

Yes. Especially if it is put in by 

sprinkling. Here is probably the cause of 

your failure, — the constant chilling twice 

a day to which you subjected the eggs no 

doubt killed the germs; some early, others 

when half grown, and others which were 

hardier and stronger, survived nearly long 

enough to escape. The pans were enough 

for moisture! 



44. Teuijterature for Hatching. — Will 
eggs hatch with a constant temperature of 100 to 
103 degrees? 

Yes. But the hatch will be delayed and 
the chicks weakened somewhat. The 
nearer the temperature is kept to 103 de- 
grees, the better. 



45. Hen's or Duck's JE(/{fs Are the 

conditions the same with incubators m hatching 
duck eggs as with hen eggs? That is, shall I 
keei^ the same moisture and heat in the incuba- 
tor for the duck eggs as for hen eggs. 

The conditions are the same, only the 

duck eggs want but little moisture the first 

three weeks. The temperature required is 

the same. 



40. Ko Gasoline Stoves. — Do you think a 
gasoline stove could be used to heat an incubator 
with success? 

We think gasoline unsafe, and would 

not like to recommend its use. 



47. Moisture in Brooder. — Does 
brooder require any moisture, and how much' 



Should have none, 
be dry always. 



The brooder should 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



35 



4S. Tf'Sthif/ Tlit'Vtnotnetcr. — I want to 
test my thermometer, cao I do it correctly by 
placing it under a hen's wing? 

Yes; but try it with several hens. 



49. ZPnpatented Incubators. — Have I a 
right to build an incubator and infringe on 
patents if I do not offer it for sale"? Can I build 
a hot water incubator, heat it with a lamp, and 
not infringe on patents? I wish to regulate it 
by the expansion of the water in the tank. 

You cannot make a patented article 
even for your own use. You can make 
and sell any incubator that is not patent- 
ed. 



30. Heat at 106 Degrees Will it do 

harm to have the heat rise to lOG degrees in an 
incubator after the eggs have been in three 
days or more? 

Yes. Any rise or fall of temperature 

from 103 degrees will do harm. The 

greater the variation the more harm. It 

kills the weaker germs and doubtless tries 

(weakens) the others. 



.%1. How Much Moinfiire. — How often, 
how much, and what time should moisture be 
put in a two lamp incubator? Capacity, 200 
eggs for chickens. 

The measurement of moisture is im- 
possible. Water evaporates more rapidly 
when warm than when cold. Everything 
depends on how much air flows in, the 
temperature, stage of incubation, cubic 
inches of space in incubator, etc. No 
one can know how much moisture to give. 
It can only be determined by observation 
durins: the hatch. 



53. Ruffled Feathers. — What is the cause 
of incubator chicks being ruftled in feathers? 
Some act as if benumbed, stretch out their 
necks, and lay down. 

May be due to several causes — bottom 

heat, lice, dampness or insufficient heat in 

brooder. 



,53. Cellar for an, Incubator. — Will a 
damp cellar do for an incubator? 

Yes, it will be an excellent place. In a 
damp cellar you will not need any mois- 
ture pans in the machine, as the natural 
moisture of the cellar air will be sufficient. 



54. Sponges, e*c.— Which method do you 
suggest for applying extra moisture in an ine u- 
bator. Wliat do you believe to be the best ma- 
terial to use for bottoms of egg trays? 



Place extra sponges, dipped in hot 
water, here and there in the drawer. Mos- 
quito wire netting. 



55. Hen's Eggs and Goose Eggs. — Will 
it do to put goose eggs and hen"s eggs in an in- 
cubator at the same time together? 

We do not think the results will be satis- 
factory. 



.'tG. No Test for Fertility.— Do j'ou know 
of any egg tester by which you can tell a ferti- 
lized egg before putting in the incubator 

There is no way of knowing if an egg 

is fertile before being used for incubation. 



tJT. How Hot or Cold. —Please inform me 
how hot or cold it must he in the incubator to 
spoil the eggs? 

Lower than 40 is injurious, and 116 for 
an hour will spoil them. These are ex- 
tremes. 



58. Brooder House. -How many chicks 
would a Ijrooder house 50 feet long and 12 feet 
wide accommodate? Could I heat it with a 
stove ? 

Five hundred if it was divided into 10 
apartments of 5 feet fjy 8, leaving a 3 feet 
walk on the north side. That would give 
you ten hovers which would accommodate 
50 chicks eich. You would want a stove, 
with a water-jacket and outflow and re- 
turn pipes for the hot water. A simple 
stove will not answer. You want the 
heat where it will keep the chicks warm, 
and hot water pipes are the thing. 



.79. TTJien to Turn Eggs — How about 
turning eggs once over daily, or half over twice 
a day ? 

They should be turned half over only, 

to bring the cool side up to the heat, and 

we think it wiser to turn twice a day. One 

incubator maker advises turning three 

times a day, but we are satisfied that twice 

a day is sufficient with ours. 



60. Chicks Dead in Shell. — I am using 
an incubator and liave had very good success 
until recently. Now I find many full grown 
chicks dead in the shell. What is the cause? 

Too much heat, probably, although it 
is not certain that it is the fault of the in- 
cubator; the same thing happens some- 
times with hens. It may be the fault of 



36 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



the hens laying too rich (fat) an egg, and 
the chick growing too large for the shell, 
and cannot turn himself to break his way 
out. This is liable to happen where fowls 
are lazy, and have little exercise. 



61. Chiclis in JB rood er.— How long 
shovild chickens be kept in tlie brooder before 
they can do without artificial heat? 

Until about six weeks old, but it de- 
pends on the season and weather. 



<>3. Jjiine in, JBrooder Jlonse. — Will air- 
slaked lime, used freely in my brooder house, 
injure the chicks? 

No: it will do no harm. Dust it freely 

over every part. 



63. Sand on Floors. — In brooder houses 
with board floors do you consider it best to put 
sand on the floors, or not? 

It is better to use sand. 



C4. Size of Brooder Souse What 

should be the size of a house in whicli to raise 75 
to KX) chicks to three pounds? and will a house 
built of rough boards, and covered with good 
roofing, be warm enough? 

A house IOXI2, divided into 2 pens, 6x 
lo, will do very well. A brooder will com- 
fortably accommodate 50 to 60 chicks till 
six weeks old, at which age they should 
be graduated from the brooder to a house 
not freezing cold, but comfortable enough, 
A well built house, covered with 
roofing, will do nicely. 




CHAPTER V. 



POULTRY BUILDINGS. 



1. Chief Rcquiretnents. — Being about to 
erect a poultry house, what are some of the 
chief requirements to be observetl? 

For economy's sake, the .walls should 
not be carried up too high from the ground. 
The inside of a fowl house need not be 
over seven or eight feet high at the eaves, 
on either side, with a " one third pitch" 
above this for the roof. If the building 
has only a "shed" roof, or one slant of 
covering, the back wall may be three to 
five feet high, and the front seven or eight 
teet from the sills. In all cases look well 
to the means of having the building thor- 
oughly ventilated, when desired. An open- 
ing in the ridge for this purpose, or one at 
both sides of the house under the eaves, is 
best. Have a screen, trap-door or slide, 
inside, that may be raised or shut at will, 
conveniently. Nothing is more surelv 
conducive to good health , in your poul- 
try, continuously, than affording them 
pure air to breathe. In confined premises, 
where there is no opportunity for the 
rapidly accumulating foul air within to 
escape, chickens or adult birds cannot 
thrive. The breathing over and over of 
this impure atmosphere generates disease 
inevitably; and the careless or inexperi- 
enced breeder discovers "roup," "sniffles," 
" swelled head," "pip," and a score of 
other so-called fowl diseases among his 
stock, most of which are fairly chargeable 
for their origin to this neglect regarding 



proper ventilation. Fresh air, clean water, 
varied food, and all the range you can 
give the birds in good weather, are chief 
requirements toward their health and 
thrift. Of these, pure breathing air may 
be counted as among the very first im- 
portant requisites. 



2. Jtootn in Winter. — How much floor 
space should 20 fowls have for a winter house? 

A house lOxio feet should accommodate 
20 hens in the winter season without 
crowding, as they can, at this season, be 
together with less inconvenience, but the 
fact is that the more room the better. It 
is not how much room on the roost is re- 
quired, but how much room on the floor 
should be given, as that is where the .hens 
are to work and scratch. If the hens have 
access to a covered shed in which to exer- 
cise during the day it will not matter, on 
cold nights, if 30 hens be allowed to roost 
in a house loxio feet, for they will get 
more fresh air than can be kept out, in 
the winter season. The rule of ten is a 
good one for calculating the space requir- 
ed which is, in summer, to allow 10 hens 
in a house loxio feet, and allow them a 
yard 10x100 feet. In winter one-half that 
space will answer. 



3. House for Four Jireeds. — Will you 
give directions for arranging a house for four 
different breeds? I do not want the building to 
be over 12x16 and it is to hold 30 of each breed. 



38 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



The size of the building that you name 
is not more than half large enough for the 
number of birds that you wish to put in 
it. To have it convenient you should 
take a hall 3 feet wide off the north side, 
putting up a nice net partition so that the 
birds can be seen and fed and watered 
from the hall. This will leave you a room 
gxi6 feet which should be divided into two 
rooms each 8x9 feet and each should have 
a sash — an ordinary house window in the 
south side, and 10 or 12 fowls is 
plenty for each room. 



4. Chaff, Sfrniv, etc.— -I wii^h to put some- 
thing ou the floor ol; my hen house to throw 
feed on. in order to make the hens scratch for 
it. If chaff cannot be had will not shavings 
answer, having them three inches thick on the 
floor? 

Yes, if broken fine; or you may use cut 

straw, which comes in bales. 



3. JPnrfifions.— Before I build my poultry 
house and yards, I would like to know, if I 
would have much trouble with my fowls fight- 
ing, if I should make the lower part of the parti- 
tions of wire netting? 

Have the bottom of boards, two feet 

high, as they will pick each other through 



«. Vent nation. —What is the best mode of 
ventilation? 

The proper way to ventilate is to run a 
shaft 4x6 inches inside from within 4 
inches of the floor up through the roof 
and to a height of 2 feet above the highest 
point of the roof, putting on a cap to ex- 
clude rain and snow, and leave side open- 
ings for a draught. 



<". Earth Floors,— What do you think 
about earth floors in poultry house? 

Many prefer them. Use the most mel- 
low soil you can procure. Loam is bet- 
ter than sand; the drier it is the better. If 
the air in your hennery is full of dust aris- 
ing from the hens scratching and wallow- 
ing, then you may know that the premises 
are thoroughly disinfected. Especially is 
it beneficial to have an ample quantity of 
dry earth under the perches. The dust 
from fine, dry loam which settles upon the 



nest boxes, perches and every part of the 
woodwork tends to keep off vermin, so 
that in some cases no whitewashing is 
necessary. Be sure by all means that the 
bed of earth which forms the floor is 
higher than the ground surrounding the 
building, so that the surface water when 
there are thaws and rains will not run into 
the building. As an additional precau- 
tion, surround the building with a shallow 
ditch communicating, if possible, with 
lower ground in the vicinity. 



8. A Stone WaUctl House.— WhaX would 

you think of building the walls of a poultry 
house of stone and mortar? I intend to build a 
house 15x100 feet, and as I am a stone mason by 
trade I can build it of stone foi' about half what 
the lumber would cost me 

Stone walls laid up in mortar and ce- 
ment would make an excellent house, only 
that care should be taken to build it in 
mid-summer so that it would get thorough- 
ly dry before frosts come. It would be 
greatly improved by fastening strips of 
furring to the inside, abotit three feet apart 
and then ceiling up. This would give an 
inch dead-air space to keep out dampness 
and frost, and make it much warmer. 



U. Small House. — In a house 9x11 feat can 
I ke«p twelve chickens Celeven hens and cock). 
Would tliat be too many hens to one cock to get 
fertile eggs? 

Yes, you can keep them in . that size 

house. There would not be 

hens. 



too many 



10. House and iVfj-fZ.— How large a 
poultry house should I have to accommodate 
t\vi»iity -five laying hens? Would a yard 2 rods 
wide and 10 rods long do for that many hens? 
Would it keep them in grass if it was in an 
orchard? How high a netting fence should I 
have for pure Leghorns, or for a cross of Leg- 
horn on Plymouth Rocks? 

That number would do very well in a 

house 12x15 feet, and 6 feet high to eaves, 

but better in a house 12x20, divided into 

twQ pens 10x12, with yard divided in 

halves also. The size yard mentioned 

would be a liberal yard, and should keep 

in grass all the growing season. All the 

tetter if it is an orchard. A fence should 

be 6 feet for cither kind: although with a 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



39 



liberal yard they are less likely to fly than 
if shut in a small yard. 



11. Cotnenf Ffoor. Is cemeut floor good 
for poultrj'? If not, why? 

It is, but not as good as boards, as it is 

sometimes damp owing to condensation of 

moisture. 



12. A 10.v40 House —How many Leghorn 
chickens should be put iu a house 10x40 feet '! 
Wouid Mce be more likely to trouble with lath 
nailed to cross strips inside of house, and straw 
crowded behind them to make house warmer: 

About 45. Lice would be likely to har- 
bor in the straw. 



double doors. I want to keep 3(1 Leghorns iu it 
this winter. How am I to ventilate it? 

Do not ventilate at all in winter except 

to leave the doors open during the day. 

At night the house should be closed, no 

openings at all. It will be harder to keep 

out the cold air than you may wish. 



13. Let) IVeakiies.^ from Jioaril Jioors. — 

Will keeping old chickens on board floors cause 
leg weakness if they have proper food? Can 
young chicks be raised to market age in a room 
with board floor? 

It will not cause leg weakness. Chicks 

may be so raised but you should have a 

covering at night over them. 



14. Heatluff ft I'oultry House. — What 
kind of heating apparatus would be best to heat 
a poultry house 'ii feet long by 20 wide, hall iu 
centre, cemented cellar G feet deep? 

Not any. It is very risky heating a 
poultr\^ house, because of the certainty of 
-overheating it, — keeping the temperature 
too high, and enfeebling the birds thereby. 
Fowls are clothed for cold weather, just 
as you are when you have on your winter 
clothing and an overcoat. In your office, 
presumably warmed to 70 degrees, you 
take off your overcoat and hat; biddy 
can't do that. She has to stay in that 
high temperature with her feathers on, 
and the effect upon her would be just the 
same as upon you if j-ou worked in your 
office with your overcoat on and button- 
ed up. You would get over-heated, and 
when you went out into the cold you 
would catch cold. Keep the hen house 
tight and warm, and you need no arti- 
ficial heat: if there are cracks and drafts, 
all the artificial heat in the world v.-on't 
help you. 



10. lioartl Floor or Fa rth .—W'hUAi is 

better for the floor of a hen house, the grovuid, 
or a plank floor? 

Much depends upon the situation of the 
house. If the location is damp a board 
(plank) floor is imperatively necessary, as 
dampness micsi be avoided at all cost. If 
the location is dry, sloping so it is natur- 
ally drained, the ground is probably bet- 
ter: it is Nature s way, and it is much 
cheaper. 



17. Orercroiftled. Ail of my fowls have 
the I'oup and are not laying enough to pay for 
the food they eat. I have 40) iu a house 20x73 
feet. 6 feet high It is divided into four pens 
10x20, each pen for 100 fcsv-ls. 

A man who puts 400 birds into space 
only large enough to comfortably house 
100, is bound to have roup and kindred 
diseases. Overcrowding is paying a 
premium for diseases. If you will dis- 
pose of three-fourths of your stock, you 
will stand a chance of getting some eggs, 
but no onfe can get eggs under such cir- 
cumstances as vou detail. 



13. VentUdting a C'eJtar. — I have a cellar, 
13 feet wide and 22 feet long, two windows at 
west end and one window at east end. witu 



IS. Store in House.— Do I need a stovti in 
a wind-proof house to halve chickens iu good 
health and in laying condition, and for i-aising 
young chicks where I have brooders? 

It is probably better not to have a stove 

(or artificial heat) in a house occupied by 

laying stock: they will keep in better 

health without. It is « iser to raise the 

chicks in another house; or separate off a 

pen for them, keeping it warm. 



19. Various Questions. — 1. How large a 
house for 100 hens? 2. Should laying room be 
partitioned off from I'oosting room? 3. 150 
chickens in a house 10 feet high — are tliey too 
crowded? 4. How many roosters to 100 "hens? 

For permanent quarters, full grown 

fowls require five square feet of ground 

room per head. Thus 100 hens would 

need a house 10x50 feet — height is not so 



40 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



important. 2. Not necessarily. 3- Yes, or 
very soon will be, if they grow any. 4. If 
for breeding, use one to each flock always. 
If for eggs only, and all in one flock, 
keep but one male — two roosters in any 
flock is one too many. 



'JO. Pen for Lefflior >is.—Uow many Leg- 
horns cau be kept in a house Sk12 with yard 
21x48? ' 

Divide into two apartments, each 6x8, 
and put a cock and 12 hens in each. 



21. South or South East.— In which 
direction slioukl a poultry house face, to get the 
early sun's warmth? Some say south and some 
say southeast? 

The southeast direction is proper if the 
warmth is desired very early, but there will 
be less warmth from the sun in the after- 
noon. We would advise the southeast 
direction for the reason that the morning 
is the time the warmth is "most needed. 



2'^. Tfiri-eil rapcr If a poultry house is 

lined with tarred pai)er, will that keep the lice 
away as well as if the inside was whitewashed? 

Tarred paper and whitewash only pre- 
vent lice for a while. Kerosene is the best 
agent to prevent lice. 



2:i. Houses and Yartlsfor lOOO Fotrls. 

— On our farm we have a nice piece of land 4(K) 
feet wide by 2(10 feet deep. ^Ve have built 10 
double houses, lis:^ feet, divided iuto'two pens, 
]:2xl2feet each, with runs for each pen 20x~W 
feet. We wish to keep hXX) chickens. Can we 
put 50 in each half-house (Idxlii) with run 
JiOxSlX); or would they be overcrowded? 

Fifty fowls could be kept in half-houses 
of that size, but they would be terribly 
crowded, multiplying the liability to di- 
sease, etc., 'not to mention the disadvan- 
tage of some in each pen being crowded 
away from the food, and so kept at no 
profit. You will do much better to build 
another lot of houses, set them lOO feet 
from the others, divide your land into 40 
runs 20x100, and haying 40 half-houses. 
You would make very much more propor- 
tionately, and, even then, we think you 
would do better (make more proportion- 
ately) with 20 in a half-house and run 
than with 25, with the advantage of sav- 
ing 20 per cent, of the food. 



24. Poultry Netting, efc— How long will 
poultry netting last^l9 mesh? Are goodh em- 
lock pickets as cheap? How high should fence 
be to confine Leghorns? 

Ten years or more. Not if length of 

time of wear is considered. About 6 feet 

— higher will do no harm. 



2.5. About Ohiss.—l want to put a hen 
house 1.5x16 feet square and eight feet high, 
with glass on the east and south sides, all the 
way f i-om the floor to the top. How will that do 
for 40 hens this winter? 

It is excellent, but do not use too much 

glass, as it keeps off the warmth at night. 



20. ITi liter Ventilation. Is it necessary 
to ventilate in winter? 

Ventilators to poultry houses have done 
more damage to poultry in winter than 
anything else. If the air of the poultry 
house in winter is foul, some excuse may 
be made for the ventilator, but the severe 
cold seals up all sources of odor, and in a 
short time turns all liquids to solids. The 
poultry house can be amply purified and 
ventilated by leaving the doors and win- 
dows open during the day and using dry 
dirt on the roost board and floor as an 
absorbent, but the ventilator at the top of 
the poultry house should never be left 
open after cold weather s?ts in. Let your 
object in winter be to secure warmth first. 
Ventilation will take care of itself, and 
you will have more difficulty keeping the 
cold air out than to let it in. 



Additional Questions. — Is it positively 
necessary to have sunlight in poultry 
houses V (We should say, yes). — Should 
buildings always be ventilated? (Yes). — 
Do you favor building near pig pens ? (We 
do not). — Should buildings be on a foun- 
dation above ground ? (Yes, otherwise 
the surface water in heavy showers may 
make the floors wet and damp). —Should 
perches be movable? (By all means). — 
What style roof is most economical ? (One 
with only one side which extends to the 
ground). — Is wire preferable to lath for 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



41 



partitions? (We think so). — Is a hall or 
passage way a necessity ? (It is decidedly 
preferable). — Is a two-story building ad- 
vantageous? (Yes; the roof costs no more 
and the upper story can be used for sitting 
hens and other purposes). — What ought 
a good house for 60 or 80 fowls cost ? (A 
good house with four pens can be built for 
fioo and perhaps less). — How much room 
should a dozen fowls- have? (About 12 
feet square). — What is a good cheap style 
of roof ? (Roof boards of hemlock or 
spruce, covered with tarred paper and then 



shingled). — Where should the roosts te 
located ? (Out of the line of draughts). — 
What size should the roosting pole be? (A 
2x3 inch scantling slightly rounded at top 
is good). — Are high roosts advisable? 
(Decidedly not). — What should be the size 
of ventilators? (About 5 inches square 
inside measure and run below roost plat- 
forms). — Should board floors be laid on or 
very near the ground ? (They should be at 
least one foot above ground). — What makes 
a good lining for a poultry house? (Tarred 
paper). 




CHAPTER VS. 



MISCELLANEOUS QUERIES. 



1. Shipp'Dtff Coops.— 'Ro\\- many inches 
wide, long and high should a shipping cooi) be 
for one or two fowls? 

That depends upon the size of the fowls. 
We intend to give about a square foot of 
floor space to each, where we are ship- 
ping a number. For instance, a coop 2 
feet wide by 3 long, contains six square 
feet, and will do very well for six fowls 
such as P. Rocks or Wyandottes; would 
carry eight or ten Leghorns or Hainburgs; 
or four or five Cochins or Brahmas. For 
height: — they should be high enough to 
allow the birds to stand erect without 
touching the top. Many breeders make a 
mistake in this and ship birds, especially 
cockerels, in coops too low. 



'i. € ross-q iir.vt ion i iHj .-What breedshould 
be crossed on White Leghorn hens to produce a 
good laying fowl'/ Would B. P. Kocks do? 
What coJor would the cross be. and would they 
be non-sitters? 

B, P. Rock males would be too heavy 
to cross On White Leghorn hens; the cross 
should be light-weight male on heavier fe- 
male. Think you would find some diffi- 
culty in c7-ossir%g up a small variety like 
the White Leghorns from the female side. 
The color would probably be mixed, and 
they would be sitters, the crossing of two 
non-sitting varieties will produce sittters, 
the act of crossing seeming to develop 
that instinct, presumably latent until stimu- 
lated into activity by the cross-breeding. 



3. Jl(itehinf) Huiitatns. — When should 
Bantams be hatched? 

Aigjst should be the latest month; July 
is a good limit to place; still, there is no 
great objection to delaying till August, if 
you are a careful manager. A secret in 
the breeding of this variety of birds is to 
keep them down in size. If got out early 
in the season, they grow finely all sum- 
mer, and are usually some ounces heavier 
at maturity, of either sex, than if bred in 
cold weather. 

4. Eon Tester. — Eow can I make a good 

e:^^ tester? 

To make an egg tester to use with a 
common lamp, take pasteboard box about 
seven inches long and six inches wide and 
six inches deep. Cut a hole in the bottom 
big enough to fit the large part of a lamp 
chimney through. Next cut a hole about 
the shape of an egg, but rather smaller, in 
one end so that it will be opposite to the 
lamp flame when the tester is slipped over 
the chimney. Now cover the box outside 
with any dull, black cloth, so that no light 
can get through, and you are ready for 
business. Light the lamp, place the tester 
in position, and the egg over the oval 
opening in the side. Turn gently as you 
look, and its condition will be clearly ex- 
posed to view. 



5. A Diiffihle V'li if eictisJi .—"WiUyou give 
a reciiie for a durable whitewash? 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



43 



One-half bushel of good lime, five 
pounds rock salt, dissolve; one-half pound 
whiting, four pounds ground rice, boiled 
to a thin paste; one-half pound clean 
grease. Slake the lime in a tight box or 
barrel with hot water, keeping the box 
covered that the steam may not escape. 
Slake to the consistency of thick cream. 
Thin it when used, so that it will fltiw 
freely from the brush. If put on too thick 
it will flake off more or less when dry. 
The above is for outside work. For in- 
doors slake the lime as above with hot 
water, omitting the salt, grease and rice. 
Instead of thinning the creamy solution 
with water use skim milk. 



6. Matinf) DarU and Light. — Which is 
best to mate, dark roosters aud htcht hens, or 
Ught roosters and dark hens, both for looks and 
profit, Plyniourli Rock hens. 

The light males and medium dark hens 

are usually preferred. 



/. While on Minnrvas.— 1)0 ^\Siii\i Minor- 
cashave any wliite on them? 

When very young some of the down is 

white. Adult fowls occasionally have a 

little whitc'on the plumage. 

8. Sfoilevs .—WiW you please mform us the 
rulable amount of room it requires to raise one 
hundred broilers, in the winter? 

At Hammonton, N. J., one hundred 

broilers are raised on a space 5xS feet. 



9. I'll/mouth Ji'oc/i.*.— What fowls were 
crossed to produce the Plymouth Rock? 

There were several crosses. It is supposed 

the result came from uniting the Cochin, 

Java, and Dominique. 



10. Good Hatch. — What is considered a 
good hatch from 13 eggs? 

One more than half — hence seven chicks 

are considered a good hatch from 13 eggs. 



11. JUdgc on Effg Shells. — Will you please 
tell me what causes a ridge around an eggshell? 

It is due to hen being out of condition 

in some manner, usually overfat. 



12. Fall Moultinij. —Do fowls moult in the 
fall, or is it due to hue that my fowls are moult- 
ing now? 



Hens moult usually from August to 
November, but some moult at different 
periods of the year. 



13. fVf7>oH.s.— How should capons be fed in 
the wintei- months? Do they need outside 
yards? How many can be kept in a building 
15x3() feet? How much room will I need to 
winter 300. 

Simply keep them growing. Feed on 
any food they will eat, but do not get them 
too fat until near time of selling. A very 
small yard will answer — just enough to 
allow of some out door air and exercise. 
About 100 can be kept in that size build- 
ing, but they may be crowded more if 
building is kept clean and weather cold. 
It is usual to allow four square feet for 
each bird, or 800 square feet for 200. 



14. Pulling the fs^iniaries—l have some 
Leghorns that iiy over the fence, and if I pull 
the primary feathers out of their wings will 
they grow in again all right? 

If pulled they begin to grow at once. If 

cut they do not renew until bird moults. 



13. TJighe.sf Ef/ff JJc'CM*v?.— Please give me 
the highest record of a lieu laying eggs in one 
year. 

In England 2S0 is claimed, but we have 

no records, and cannot state. Be satisfied 

with 150. 



IG. Alnnit the P«?;.s7<.— Does apure White 
crested Black Polish get white feathers through 
the body when it gets to be two or three years 
old? 

The color should be black, with no 
white through the body: but it often hap- 
pens that aged birds show white feathers, 
as the tendency is to grow lighter with age. 



IT. Good Wh iten-as7i.— Please, state how to 
mix a good whitewash? 

Use I lb. flour paste, and one-fourth lb. 
glue to four gallons skim milk, then slake 
lime with it. 



IS. Leghorn Coinb.s.—How many points 
must any variety of Leghorn hens have on their 
combs, provided there are no side sprigs, or is it 
immaterial? 

Five or six — five preferred, for White 

Leghorns. We presume the same for the 

Browns, but the standard does not specify 

number. 



44 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



10. V'Jiitr 31 hiorrns. —WiW you please 

give the origin of the Wliite Miuorcas? 

They are of Spanish origin, coming first 
from the island of Minorca, from which 
they derive the name. 



20. lioJtoti O/'fjys.— Will you please say if 
there is sucli a fowl as Bolton Grays. 

The old Bolton Grays have now become 

the Silver Penciled and Silver Spangled 

Hamburgs. 



21. Fatteninr/ C'orh-crelft.—'H.ow do you 
fatten cockerels from late hatch, Plymouth 
Roc It, I have a lot of them. 

Feed on plenty of corn, with soft food 
three times a day. 



22. A Good r'i'OAS.— What do you think of 
crossing Plymouth Rock ^\ith Game, and are 
the}' as good as the i)iu-e bred Plymouth Rocks? 

The cross of Indian Game and Plymouth 

Rock will produce a grand table fowl, and 

cannot be surpassed. 



23. The StfuxJa rd.— What is the book 
called the "Standard y" 

It is a volume prepared by a society of 
poultry men known as "The American 
Poultry Association." Its title is " T/ie 
Americati .Standard of Perfection.'''' It is 
not a treatise on poultry culture, but 
merely describes, point by point, each 
recognized variety of fowls. 



24, Jionc. - 1 am a new beginner and want 
to ask if burnt bone is as good as raw bone? 

No. Burning the bone changes an 
animal food into a species of lime. Burnt 
bone is good, but a great part of the virtue 
has been destroyed in the burning, especial- 
ly the animal matter. 



2.'>. Er/g Sftells for Fouds.—Ave egg 
shells good for fowls in winter? 

Yes, egg shells are excellent for fowls at 
any time, but should be smashed fine so as 
to be readily eaten. Otherwise they may 
teach the fowls to eat their eggs. All of the 
shells of the eggs eaten in our fainily are 
crushed fine and mixed into the mash for the 
fowls' morning feed. As some of the albu- 
men clings to the inside of the shells, it 



would be wasted if the shells were burned or 
thrown upon the manure heap ; by my 
method this albumen, as well as the shell 
material of the shells, goes back to the 

fowl's system to help make more eggs and 
shells. 



20. JEathif/ I'liinj'Jiiii Seeds. — How do 
you account for fowls eating pumpkin seeds, 
getting giddy or drunk, and ultimately dying in 
that condition? 

It is not due to the seeds so much as 
overfeeding, the birds being fat, and sub- 
ject to pressure of blood on the brain, 
causing apoplexy. 



27. Mutnber Males.— WiW one do with 25 
pullets. Is good wheat at $1.0(1, cheap feed? Is 
clover hay cheap feed at $14 IK) a ton? How 
much wheat will 25 hens need at a meal? 

It is now claimed that one male with 30 
hens is better than if with a smaller num- 
ber. Wheat is not cheap if we consider 
the nitrogenous and mineral matter, but 
cheap as a heat-forming food. Clover is 
cheap feed at that price. About a pint 
once a day, with clover for 25 hens. 



2S. Rrcrrmetit oil Chic1,-.i.—'\\hat is the 

cause of the excrement of ineubafor-hatched 
chicks hanging on their posteriors and harden- 
ing there"'' 

Looseness of the bowels is the cause, 

but it isn't confined to incubator chicks. 

We have some hen hatched chicks slightly 

troubled that way. It hardens because the 

heat of the body dries it. It must be 

removed, else it will cause stoppage of the 

vent, and kill the chicks. The cause is 

variously, too sloppy food, uncooked 

(raw) meal-dough, a chill, etc. A remedy 

is to give dry food mostly, putting a /itt/e 

cayenne pepper in the moistened food, 

and scalded milk to drink. 



29. liroUrrs or Ff/f/s.— Do you think there 
is profit in raising broilers (with hens,) or is there 
more money macle in selling the eggs? 

The egg is worth but one or two cents ; 
the broiler-chick, when he weighs a pound 
and a half, is worth twenty to fifty cents : 
the increase is food and labor. The dis- 
advantage of raising f^;-/)' broilers by hens 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



45 



is that the hens will wean the chicks when 
they are four or five weeks old, and they 
may then be chilled and stunted. It is far 
better to have a brooder (or brooders) to 
put the chicks in after the hens have 
hatched them, then the hens can be reset. 



30. Brooili/ ITcti — What is the best method 
of breaking up broody hens? 

Shut them in a pen by themselves, away 
from nests, two or three days. If you 
have a spare cock, or lively young cock- 
erel, put him in with them. 

31. Toasted Corn.— I am feeding whole 
corn toasted, every other uight; will that make 
hens lay? 

Yes, provided you feed a variety of food 

also. Be careful, also, not to get the hens 

too fat. That's the great danger with 

corn. 



33 Lni/inrj nftpf 3Ir>ulHng. —What time 
do hens generally begin laying after moulting? 

That depends upon how they have been 
fed previously. If fed for eggs, they will 
take but a short recess for moulting, some- 
times none at all. If the system is ex- 
hausted, the moult (producing a new suit 
of clothes) is a heavy drain upon a hen, 
and she may not get built up to laying 
vigor again before spring. 



33. Stiy or JtaUe.- Isn't it cheaper and 
better for one lacking somewhat in room, to buy 
pullets at ten cents a pound for laying stock than 
to raise them ? 

No, a thousand times no! The pullets 

you buy at ten cents a pound haven't been 

fed for growth, and won't lay before 

spring, not to mention the swarms of lice 

you buy with them, which will still further 

handicap you. If you want pullets to lay 

while eggs are bringing high prices, hatch 

them in April, keep them growing from 

the first day so they will lay November ist, 

and then keep them laying. You can 

never buy that bird ! 



34. Excellent Cross, — Please tell me what 
you think of a cross between the White Leg- 
horn and Light Brahma? What would be the 
advantages of such a cross, and should I use a 
Leghorn cOckerel on Brahma hens, or vice versa? 



The cross produces a bird larger than 
the Leghorn, and more active than the 
Brahma, the Leghorn, predominat- 
ing. Use the Leghorn male. The 
cross is an excellent one. 



3.5. ChicTts fro7n A">»tff/? -Ef/f/.*.- AVill birds 

hatched from the small eggs be as large as 
those from the large ones pi-oduced by another 
hen? 

Yes, as small eggs do not mean that a 
hen will not lay them larger, but it is safer 
to breed from hens that lay large eggs uni- 
formly. 



30 Jjitne, Gravel, Oijster Shells. — Is 

lime and gravel as good as oyster shells? 

Old plaster, broken muscle shells, and 
many other things are good to furnish 
lime material to fowls. Oyster shells are 
excellent, and so common and cheap, they 
are almost universally used. They 
can be obtained of dealers in poultry 
supplies everywhere. The price in Boston 
is sixty cents a hundred, and they are sold 
at retail as high as two cents a pound. 



37. Forcitifj.— Please explain the process 
ot forcing as applied to raising chickens. 

It means simply to feed heavily and 

force them to grow. 



38. Brown or White Leghorns. — What is 
the difference aside from color? 

Browns. Whites. 

TOO. 140. 

Weight of egg - - - 20Z 3QSg. 20Z. gag 

Food per day - - - - 40Z 336g. 40Z 38 

Meat 6 mo. old - 31b iSoz 233g. 31b. 15 oz 223g 
Bone 6 mo. old - - 2lb 10 oz i4og. 2lb. 10 oz i4og, 
Wt. when hatched - i oz io2g. i oz 72g 

Gain per day; at first lO/g- g^g 

The Browns are said to develop faster 
than the Whites. In many places the 
Whites produce considerably more than 
140 eggs per annum, and in this point the 
above scarcely does that variety justice, as 
also in the weight of the eggs. 



39. Pullets for Broilers. — Would you I'e- 
commend me to get last year's hens, or pallets 
of this year, to hatch broilers, and for winter 
laying. 

Pullets (or a male) hatched not later 



46 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



than April, would probably answer, but 
we think stock over one year old is better. 



40. Ot'lgin of Leffhortis, — Where did the 
Leghorns couie from originally, and which is the 
original stock, the Whites or Browns? 

They came from Leghorn, Italy, and as 

both Browns and Whites were imported 

from there, between 1850 and i8jc, :t is 

impossible to tell which is the original 

stock. 



41. Alfalfa.— Is &.\f&\ia a good substitute 
for clover as a winter food? 

Yes. Herd's grass is also good. Of 
course they are not so good as clover, but 
better than nothing. 



42. liest Ch ick Food.— Let me know what 
to feed to young chicks of the breeds that 
feather fast, to prevent drooping of w ings ami 
in many instances dying. Also at what age to 
cut combs of cockerels of Game Bantams? 

The best food is bread and milk, with 
meat twice a week, and a variety of food. 
Cut the combs as soon as they show well, 
— when they are about three or four 
months old. 

43. Profit in Jiantaiiis. — Do you consider 
fie raising of Hantams at all profitable? Are 
their eggs salable? 

Being small, the eggs are not always 

salable, but in proportion to cost of keep, 

(and size or eggs in proportion to size of 

fowl), they are more profitable for home 

use than any other breed. 



44. Fine Jable Ji/rr?.— What kind of stock 
would result from a cross of B. B. R. Game 
cock and Brown Leghorn hen? 

The cross makes a fine table bird, and 
the hens grand layers. They will strong- 
ly resemble both parents. 



45. Carbolic Acid — Is carbolic acid good 
in the water for chickens; if so, how much to 
the gallon? 

Carbolic acid is good for some purposes, 
but should not use it regularly, and then 
but a few drops to the gallon of water. 
Sulphur is good, also, in its' place, but use 
sparingly, as it opens the pores of the 
skin, and makes the birds liable to colds. 



40. The liuiif/h ills. — What is the average 
number of eggs laid by a dunghill fowl in a 
year, with reasonably good care and feed? 

The average dunghill fowl doesn't get 
reasonably good care and feed, conse- 
quently doesn't average, probably over fifty 
eggs in a year. Good grades, got by 
crossing Brown Leghorn cock on Plym- 
outh Rock hens, have laid, with us, 175 
eggs apiece in a year; but then, they were 
good stock, and fed for eggs. The average 
yield of eggs per fowl in the United States 
is a little below 100. 



47 Dnnrjev of Mi.riiif/. — Would there be 
danger of mixing the breeds if I let B. B Game 
Bantams run with hens as large as P. Rocks? 

Most certainly. Bantam males have a 

great deal of gimp, and will serve the 

large breeds of fowls successfully. Your 

Bantam females would be all right and 

would breed true, but P. Rocks would be 

mixed. 



48. Fit for Jiveeding. — At wdiat a,ge is a 
healthy Leghorn cockerel fit for breeding pur- 
po.ses? 



A Leghorn cookerel matures early, 
is serviceable when six months old. 



He 



49. Three Cin.9.<:«»s.— According to utility, 
how should the various breeds be classified? 

The utility of the breeds can be divided 
up into three classes, as follows: First. 
For egg farming — Leghorns, Minorcas, 
Andalusians, Anconas, Spanish, etc. 
Second. For table birds, (roasted) — Brah- 
mas. Cochins, Games, etc. For broilers, 
crosses of lighter breeds on the above. 
Third. For general purposes — Plymouth 
Rocks, Wyandottes, Houdans, Langshans, 
etc. For profit, a man can secure better re- 
turns by selecting according to the class in 
which he is interested. For instance, an 
egg farm would be a very slow concern 
run with birds from class second. Like- 
wise a meat supply could not be secured 
by class first. And where both are in- 
tended, and only a limited supply of each 
expected, class three will fill the bill. 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



47 



so. Age of Fowls.— Is there any way to tell 
the difference in the age of a one year old hen 
and a two year old hen ? 

The hen has a more fully developed 
body, the legs are rougher, and some of 
them have spurs quite long. The older 
the hen the more likely the comb and wat- 
tles are rough or injured, while the general 
plumage is not as clear and bright as that 
of a younger hen, nor are the elder hens 
as active or sprightly. 



51. Plafiter and 3Innnre. — Which is the 
best way to save poultry manure? Will it pay 
to buy land plaster to put under the roosts? I 
have board platforms under the roosts and 
scatter lime and dust, clean every few days and 
pack in barrels. Will it do to keep the barrels 
out of doors well covered with boards? 

Plaster is excellent and cheap. Omit 

the lime, as it causes loss of ammonia. 

Otherwise your method is correct. The 

manure should be kept dry, but the boards 

will answer if they do not admit moisture. 



51. Golden, Wynndottes Which is right 

in Golden Wyandottes? I have hens yellow 
with black spots on, and black hens with yellow 
spots. 

The web of the feather should be black 

with yellow centres, but the hens vary 

very much in all flocks. 



53. Whitetvasli, etc. — Please tell me the 
way to mix whitewash with kerosene oik 

It can be mixed in any quantity. Add 
a quart of kerosene to a bucket of white- 
wash, stirring well while adding the kero- 
sene. 

5i. .1 Good. Tonic— WiW you give a recipe 
for making a good tonic? 

A practical poultry breeder informs the 
Poultry Keeper that he has repeatedly 
saved chicks and adult fowls, even after 
they were apparently beyond all hope, by 
administering a spoonful of a solution of 
what he thinks one of the best tonics known : 
For a chick take five drops brandy, two 
drops t-incture iron, and put in as much 
quinine as will rest on the point of a small 
knife blade, or we would suggest from one- 
half to a grain. For bowel diseases add 
two drops laudanum, or what is better, 
one-fourth of a teaspoonful of paregoric. 



doubling the dose for adults and lessening 
it for very small chicks. For colds, roup 
and such like, take one-half grain quinine, 
one grain red pepper, one of assafoetida, 
half grain opium, and three drops tincture 
of iron. One hour after give half tea- 
spoonful of castor oil, doubling the dose 
for adults. Should the chicks appear 
weak and droopy, with bowel discharges, 
put a pinch of quinine and a little tincture 
of iron in the drinking water. For a 
quick, active stimulant, when the chick is 
very feeble, take a drop of laudanum, a 
little red pepper, and two or three drops of 
brandy. Be careful to add a little water 
always, for fear of strangling the chick. 



55. Cros.sitn^fo)- J^qsts.-I have Single 
Comb Brown Leghorn hens, and would like to 
cross them to improve their egg production and 
size. How do you think it would do to use a 
Silver Spangled Hamburg or Black Minorca 
cock? Can you name any other cross that 
would be better for eggs only? 

Crossing Brown Leghorns with either a 
Hamburg or Minorca cock would not 
increase the size, but would increase the 
egg production, as crossing one variety 
with another seems to stimulate the pro- 
creative organs, and thereby induce egg- 
laying. Probably there is no better cross 
possible for eggs. Of the two we should 
use the Black Minorca, as it is a single 
combed variety. 



5G. JSTever Crowed. —I have two Wyan- 
dotte cockerels. They are over five months old 
and have never crowed. They are healthy 
vigorous birds. What i.s the matter with theur- 
Will they do to breed from? 

They are only slow in maturing, and 

will probably be of large size. They will 

crow soon enough, and can be used for 

breeding purposes. 



St. Partridge Cochins — Will you please 
give me a description of Partridge. Cochins 
What should be the color of the plumage, ear- 
lobes, legs, and should the leg and middle toe be 
covered with feathers in order to be full blood? 

Head red, comb single, earlobes red, 
neck red with black stripe down middle of 
feather, back same, breast black, tail 
black, legs yellow and feathered on out- 



48 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



side to end of oilter toe — middle toe feath- 
ered. 



58. Ei'cry Day iwj/cr*.— What breed of 
hens will lay every day. Some think that Brah- 
mas crossed with Plymouth Rocks will lay 
every day, and chickens come early also 

There is no breed of fowls that will lay 
every day. If one gets them to lay 200 
eggs apiece in a year he does exceedingly 
well, and that is only an average of a lit- 
tle more than half an egg a day. The Leg- 
horns and Minorcas are the greatest lay- 
ers, and would be good for warm climate. 
Brahmas crossed by Plymouth Rocks 
would be good layers, greater than either 
of those two breeds pure-bred, but not 
quite equal to the Leghorns or Minorcas. 

39. JBest for Capons. — What breed, or 
what cross, makes the best capons? 

In Mr. Dow's comprehensive little book 
on " Capons and Caponizing," we find 
" Any breed of cockerels can be greatly 
increased in weight by being caponized. 
The larger breeds, of course, make much 
larger capons than the smaller ones, but 
the latter are increased in weight in pro- 
portion to their natural size. — All things 
considered, the Plymouth Rock is the best 
breed to keep for caponizing, eggs, and 
everything although the Light Brahmas 
are about as good. A cross of the two 
would be better for capons alone. Some 
claim that the largest capons are obtained 
by crossing a Dorking cock on Brahma 
or Cochin hens. After doing this I should 
re-cross with a Plymouth Rock to get a 
full-breasted fowl with yellow skin and 
legs, and particularly a handsome plum- 
age. The matter of plumage is an im- 
portant one for capons for market, as 
much of it is allowed to remain on when 
dressed, and it adds greatly to the ap- 
pearance of the bird." 



60. Corn not CJieajx'st. — Com is one cent 
a pound, oats a cent and a half, and wheat two 
cents; which shall I feed my growing chicks? 
Corn is the cheapest. 

Because corn is thirty-three per cent. 

cheaper than oais, and fifty per cent. 



cheaper than wheat, it by no means fol- 
lows that is the cheapest to feed, because 
here it must be measured by its ability to 
produce. One thing is certain, the ele- 
ments must be in the grain in order to 
produce the same in the animal tissues. 
A strictly carbonaceous food would not 
build up the albuminoids. Hence corn is 
more expensive in growing chicks than 
oats or wheat. It may form a portion of 
the daily diet, say perhaps twenty per 
cent , but not more, for beyond this it is 
not profitable. Oats whole and ground, 
wheat, cooked vegetables, an abundance 
of clover, and a small quantity of corn, 
should form the rations fed to growing 
chicks, and the quantity given must 
be in proportion to the needs of the 
creature. If a larger amount of corn or 
corn meal is fed, there is great danger of 
disturbances with the bowels. Its heating 
nature is apt to produce an inflamed con- 
dition of the lining membrane of the 
intestines. 



61. Jilood on Eggs. — I have a hen which 
some time ago layed eggs that had several small 
clots of blood in the white. Since then she layed 
one of which the entire white had a bloody 
tinge, and a few days ago one was found to be 
all blood except the yolk, at least it was the 
color of blood. 

The blood clots are often caused by 

food, as raw meat, but in a majority of 

cases it is due not only to derangement of 

the digestive organs, but to weakness in 

the reproductive organs, the substance of 

the eggs being deposited as blood instead 

of the blood being converted into albumen, 

etc., as is the case when cows give bloody 

milk. 



62. Crude Carbolic Acid — I wish to in- 
quire about carbolic acid. I suppose it can be 
bought in powder, in crystals and in solution. 
Which is the best way to buy it? How should 
the powder or crystals be dissolved? What 
proportion of water? I want to use it about the 
hennery. One tablespoonful of carbolic acid to 
a quart of slacked lime. Does this mean the 
acid in powder or solution? About how much 
should I pay for it by the pound ? 

It is sold in all conditions, crystallized 

and crude. Also as a solution. The crude 



F'lVE Hundred Questions and Answers. 



49 



acid is the kind used. The liquid is of 
varying strength. An ounce of the crude 
dissolved in a pint of water answers for 
ordinary purposes. A lablespoonful of a 
solution of carbolic acid to a quart of 
lime will make the carbonate of lime. The 
crystallized is $i.oo per pound, the liquid 
saturated solution) is 60 cents per pound. 
Crude from 20 to 40 cents. 



03. Value, of Kerosene. — Give us your 
estimate on the value of kerosene in the poultry 
yard. 

The many uses that kerosene may be put 
to in the poultry yard make it an almost in- 
dispensable article. For painting the in- 
side of nest boxes for sitting hens there is 
nothing equal to it, as it surely kills all ver- 
min with which it comes in contact, and pre- 
vents other vermin from entering the nest 
until it is entirely evaporated, which, if the 
crude oil is used, will give the hen ample 
time to hatch her brood. A few drops in 
the drinking water occasionally has a good 
effect upon the general health of the flock, 
and for colds or roup there is nothing bet- 
ter if carefully applied. 



64. ShippiiiQ: liroUers. — Please g^ive the 
best way to prepare anc4 shij) broilers to New 
Yorlc in winter and summery Distance 1000 
miles. 

Simply dry pick them, removing only the 
feathers, pack in barrels, and send by ex- 
press. In summer it is best not to ship so 
far. 



<i.~. Ciittiiifj the Whtf/s. — I want to 
know if it will injure fowls to cut their wings, as 
my fences are too low fox- Leghoi'ns? 

It will not injure them to cut the wings 

except in appearance. 



«6. Otii/hi »f U . yj. Tloek.s.-l would 
like to know where the AV'hite I'lymoutli KoclvS 
come from? 

They are said to have " sported " from 
the barred Plymouth Rock. 



(»7. Ttuhhiiif/.— Will you explain tlie 
operation of "dul)l>iiiK " 

The operation of dubbing is easily per- 
formed. The right age is when the chicl<s 
are from ten to twelve weeks old, or when 
the comb has made a >Jood start to "rcjw out. 



A sharp pair of shears is the best instru- 
ment to use; trim the comb close to the 
head with one clip of the shears, and one 
clip for each wattle, and the job is done. 
The operation should be performed in the 
evening, after the fowls have gone to roost, 
as then the few drops of blood drawn will 
dry up, and the cuts be seared over before 
morning. Use no hot iron, grease, or wash 
of any kind, and the fowls will go about 
their business the next day, as though noth 
ing had happened. 



OS. A Worui-Iiitch.— How oan a worm 
ditch be made? 

Dig a trench 4x6 feet, one foot deep, then 

brick or cement it up. Put in four inches 

of bedding from the horse stable, then four 

inches of horse manure. Scatter on top of 

this some fine corn meal, scraps from the 

table, yeast and anything that will cause 

rapid fermentation. Lastly sprinkle about 

an inch of loose dirt, and oyer all put a 

tight roof so as to keep out sun and rain, 

but open at the sides. Soon the muck flies 

will take possession and lay their eggs. In 

a few days the pit will be swarming with 

maggots, making a rich feast for the chicks. 



60. Dyiiuf Ui, the ShelL-Why do chicks 
die in the shell after pipping, and just before 
time to come out, and why so weak after hatch- 
ing? 

Due to too much moisture and opening 

the egg drawer frequently. When the 

moisture is plentiful the admission of dry 

air causes rapid evaporation and chills the 

chick in the shell. 



yo. Cvossinff liroilers. In crossing 
sitting and non-sitting breeds, wliieh woidd you 
use fcir the top cross? Also, what variety would 
you breed for very early broilers? 

The non-sitting variety should be the top 
cross, mainly for the reason that they are 
smaller and lighter. We cross Single 
Combed Brown Leghorn cocks on Barred 
Plymouth Rocks. If the reverse was done 
there would be danger of the heavy cock 
breaking down the wings of the hens. It is 
the prevailing opinion that a White Wyan- 
dotte cock on Light Brahma hens will pro- 
duce //it- I'est broiler chicks; although 



50 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



White Leghorn on White Wyandotte would 
probably produce more quickly maturing 
jjroilers. Both these crosses would produce 
prolific laying pullets. 



of male should be erect, and that of the fe- 
male falling over to one side. 



71. To Dilute CurOolic ^Iclrf.— What 
will cut crude carbolic acid so it can Ijo 
diluted or make it into a powdei- similar to wliat 
is sold at the stores' What is understood by 
crude petroleum, and where can it be gotten? 

Dissolve in warm water, and use the 
water for slaking lime. Crude petroleum 
is the unrefined article, and should be ob- 
tained at any drug store. 



T'J. Dropphif/ E{/</s.—l have two Ply- 
mouth Rock pullets lar^e, flue fowls, layiiif? 
Kood iiggs — every day. They however do not 
go to nest, but droji the egg from tlie top percli 
of their z'oost. Can you give reason for this? 

Birds are fat and overfed. Change the 

food. Give but little grain, with plenty of 

grass as a substitute. In other words avoid 

fat or starchy foods. 



73. Aije of Chicks. — Is there any method 
by which the age ot chickens can be arrived at .■' 

Not the exact age. An old bird has a 

rougher comb and legs, with longer spurs, 

and less lustre of plumage. 



74. How to KUl J<\iwl.s. — Is there any 
better way of killing fowls for the table than by 
cutting off their heads? 

Probably not. Cutting off the head in- 
sures thorough bleeding for one thing, 
which cutting across the roof of the mouth 
does not surely do, and that thorough 
bleeding is a very important part of the 
wholesomeness of the meat. If the severed 
neck is unsightly, the skin can be drawn 
over the end and tied with a bit of cord, 
effectively concealing the ragged neck. 



7S. Wliite JUlncli Spanish— I have a W. 
F. Black Si)auisli hen that will be three years 
f)l(l i\Iay 1st. About the first of December tliis 
lifii l)egan changing color moulting her l)lack 
feathers, and growing white ones, until now she 
is halt' white. Can you explain it? 

All breeds -lurn lighter with age. We 

have seen J)tere " Black " Spanish entirely 

white, becoming so gradually. 



76". S. €. Ji. Tyvf/horii's Conihs. — Please 
describe the conil>s of Single combed Brown 
Ijeghorns, male and female, as they should be 
for breeders. 

Comb is single; has five points. Comb 



77. Cro.'i.siHf/ for Ji(/{/s. — What kind of 
cockerels would you }>ut willi pure blood White 
Leghorns and Plymouth Ro(;k hens to i)roduce 
the Ijest fowls for eggs? 

Think we should put a White Leghorn 
cock with the White Leghorn hens, and a 
Brown Leghorn with the Plymouth Rocks. 
The Leghorns are the greatest layers of the 
well-known breeds, and can hardly be made 
greater layers by crossing another breed 
upon them. The egg yield of the Plym- 
outh Rocks can be increased i)y crossing 
them with the Leghorn cocks. 



78. Ifcnthcr liotituj. — How ran feathei" 
eating be stopjjed? 

Catch the first fowl with feathers missing, 

or rather every fowl with feathers missing, 

and rub a little kerosene f)n all the feathers 

around the bare place. The next time 

biddy thief tries to indulge in forljidden 

treats she will get a nauseous dose, and will 

give up the habit in disgust. 



7i>. Morth WoritiN. — Are earlli worms 
good for clucks? I dig up the ground in their 
yard and they eat a good many. Also, is meat- 
meal good to feed them? 

Yes; earth worms are excellent food for 

chicks; give them all you can. Meat meal 

(beef scrap) should be fed sparingly at first, 

or it will cause scouring. It is a good 

food — and some meat should be given them. 



SI. I'^or One Acre. — How many hens can 
l>e kept on an acre of gi'ound' for liouse anil 
yards? Can a man make a living from them if 
he spends all his time and aises all the ehicl'ens 
he can? AVliat kinds are best to keep and how 
many kinds? 

It depends on koio kepi, but the general 
estimate is loo hens for each acre. We 
think he can. It depends on circumstances. 



S'J. To I'^'itten yoirls. — How shuuld fowls 
be kept for fattening? 

Fowls, to fatten well, should be contined 
in a small space in perfect darkness, and 
kept perfectly quiet. When large numbers 
are confined in one apartment they are apt 
to (juarrel, and the strong to impose on the 
weak. It is better, therefore, to have but 
few in a place. To fatten well, fowls should 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



51 



he fattened as rapidly as possible. Coarse 
corn meal scalded or cooked, with skim 
milk to drink, is the best diet we know of. 
For the sake of variety, wheat or cracked 
corn and wheat may be given occasionally. 
Coarse sand and gravel should be supplied 
freely; also granulated charcoal or the 
same pulverized and given in their soft 
food. For the last few days of the process a 
little red pepper may be added to sharpen 
appetite and aid digestion. They should be 
fed all they will eat, but the food should not 
be kept constantly before them, or they will 
become satiated. Fourteen days will suffice 
to fatten fowls, even if they were very lean 
when put up. When they are in good con- 
dition ten days will sufice. 



S3. Spupc for Ifoii^l. — How many sijuare 
feet to each fowl should be allowetly 

The rule is to allow a house loxio feet 
for ten hens, which gives each hen ten 
square feet. In the winter a greater num- 
ber of fowls may be together. The space 
applies to the square feet on the floor of the 
house only. The yard should be ten times 
as large as the house. 



S4. JTatiihiirijs. — I would like to know what 
kind uf Haiiiliiu-g's lay the moste^Ks, the Silver 
SpaiiKli'. (ioliii'U Spangle, or tlie IJlack Ham- 
liui-jj, aiiil is there any kind of Hamburg's than 
tlie tlu-ee I have named'/ 

There is no difference. The Ilamburgs 

are black, white, silver-spangled, golden 

spangled, silver-penciled, golden- penciled. 



S.'i Frozen Combs. — Are heiis with frozen 
combs as good layers as those not injured? 

If the coml)S heal they are not injured as 

layers. It is only during the time the comb 

is sore that that they will not lay. 

SO. Jfen.'i for Sit tin (/.—What hens are 
best forsittersy 

It is an error to choose the largest hen in 
the flock for sitting. Those of medium size 
are best for the purpose, as experience 
shows, and among those of the same size, 
those which make the greatest spread of 
feathers. In this respect the pure-blooded 
.\siatics are deficient, although what they 
lack in spread is made up m fluffiness, that 



is, in depth. Here, as in other points, 
benefit is derived from a cross. 



S7. Silo. —How can a cheap silo be made? 

A silo is simply a strong, air-tight box, 
pit or hogshead — in fact, anything that will 
answer the purpose — and ensilage is green 
food, such as grass, vegetable tops, growing 
corn,, or any substance that will be relished 
by poultry. For poultry a strong barrel or 
hogshead will answer. The green food 
should not be cut until it is near maturity, 
or it will be largely composed of water. If 
cut just before ripening, the elements in- 
tended for the formation of seed will be 
arrested in the stalks, and the ensilage will 
be more nutritious. Pass the material 
through a cutter to get it into half-inch 
lengths. Pack it close and tight in the bar- 
rel, and place the head of the barrel on the 
ensilage. The head should be just small 
enough to go down in^o the barrel. On the 
barrel-head place stones, or any kind of 
weight, so that when the contents of the 
barrel are compressed and sink, the head 
of the barrel will sink with it. As the con- 
tents go down, add more ensilage until the 
barrel is full. The heavy pressure will ex- 
clude the air, aud the contents can be kept 
in an excellent state of preservation. 



SS. The word "iiarrcf?. "— What do we 
understand by the woi'd '"Barred" when used as 
iu Barred I'ly mouth Rocks? 

It means that the plumage is marked with 
bars of darker color on a light ground. 



8U. Brittle Eyg SJicll.s.—Uy hens lay 
eggs with veiy brittle shells; a slight pressun- 
will break tliem. Can I feed anything to them 
to toughen the shells? 

Yes. Crushed oyster shells, bone meal, 
broken mortar, etc. 



90. Cifpoiiisinr/ Defined. — Will you kind- 
ly explain what caponiziug is? 

Webster defines caponizing as " castrat- 
ing a fowl," and a capon as "A castrated 
cock; a cock chicken gelded as soon as he 
begins to crow, for the purpose of improv- 
ing his flesh for the table." 



91-114. Several Queries. 

Why- do hens lay soft shelled 



53 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



eggs? (Too fat). — Would Leghorns 
crossed with Dorkings make good broilers? 
(Yes, excellent). — Do young Langshan 
chicks ever have white when first hatched ? 
(Yes). — At what age should chicks of the 
large breeds be allowed to roost wiihout 
danger of crooked breast bone? (When 
about three months old). — At what age 
should Light Brahma pullets begin to lay? 
(About eight months). — Are Minorcas non- 
sitters? (Yes). — Should pepper be given to 
fowls? (Sparingly). What makes eggs 
sometimes look " White-livered?" (It is on 
account of the feed. Give some fresh meat 
and clover). — What is " vulture bock?" 
(Stiff projecting feathers at the hock joint). 
— .Should all eggs from the same breed of 
fowls be of the same color? (Not neces- 
sarily). — How often should in-breeding be 
practiced? (About once in three or four 
years). — Will coal ashes take the place of 
road dust for a bath ? (Yes). — Is unslaked 
lime injurious to fowls if they eat it? (No). 



— Will pullets begin to lay earlier if a 
cockerel runs with them? (No). — How 
many fowls is enough to be kept in a build- 
ing 32x22? (I'ifty, in two pens of 25 each). 
— What will take frost out of frozen combs 
and wattles? (Glycerine put on three times 
a week). — At what age should a Wyandotte 
cockerel begin to crow. (Sometimes they 
crow when three months old). — Do pure- 
bred Wyandottes ever throw single combs? 
(Sometimes, but rarely). — If a rose-comb 
Leghorn cockerel is mated to singe-comb 
pullet what comb would the offspring have? 
(Some single, some rose). — Is the odor of 
fresh paint injurious to fowls? (No) — 
What is the usual price for incubator- 
hatched chicks a day old? (Ten cents). — 
Will hens swallow without injury, large 
pieces of bone? (Yes, as large as a bean or 
larger). — How shall I keep sunflower seeds 
in winter? (Simply in a dry place). — Is 
Houdan pronounced //ozydan or //fcilan? 
{Hoodan). 



CHAPTER VII. 



TURKEYS, DUCKS AND GEESE. 



1. Turheys. — I have a hen turkey blind in 
one eye. Is there any special disease to be guard- 
ed against or wa it the result of an accident? 

It may be the result of accident, or due 
to cold from draught of air on that side. 



2. Cold in the. Head. — My turkeys ai'e all 
swelled iu tlie liead under the eye toward the 
nose, and they sneeze. Can you tell me what 
the trouble is, and tl«3 cure'/ 

It is probably a cold in the head, caused by 

exposure to cold storms or draughts. Mix 

a teaspoonful of lard with half as much of 

each of pure ginger, mustard and cayenne 

pepper. When well mixed add flour to 

stiffen it, so it can be rolled into slugs 

half as big as your little finger. One slug 

is a dose for a hen, and two for a turkey. 



3. Bou'vl Difficult!/. — My turkeys begin to 
mope when about two mouths old aod have a 
vit)leut attack of the bowels, but uot like 
cholera. Are never attacked uutil full feathered. 

It may be due to lice, cold on the 



bowels, or from some kind of food eaten. 



4, Ifvtts to ft J)fff?^.-Howmany turkey hens 
ought there be kept to breed from one male:' 

Twelve. 



3. Affe for Sreedinff PnrjiOs<:<i. — Is^ a 

turkey gobbler four or five years old as good 
for breeding purposes as one a year old. Did 
you ever hear of a turkey hen that, while having 
a lot of young ones, started in laying egg? 

Not as valuable as one younger, but if 

strong and active you may retain him. It 

is something unusual to begin laying at 

that time. 



6. Fatty Jier/ctiei-ation. — I had a tiu'key- 
hen killed recently. Had its liver almost cover- 
ed with hard, white spots, about the size of a 
pea. Everything else was healthy. State what 
was the matter. 

It was due to indigestion, or to fatty de- 
generation. 



Tronhlr frotn JJrt'. — What ails our 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



53 



yonuj? turkeys? They are active and hearty, 
but in a day or so be^in to die. They are hatch- 
(m1 by liens and good care is given them. 

Look on the heads and necks for the 

large tick louse. Grease heads, necks, 

and vents, with a few drops of a mixture 

of one gill of lard and a teaspoon of oil of 

pennyroyal. 



S. Ffcil for 2'urhs. — What should young 
turks be fed the first week? 

A successful turkey-raiser feeds the 
chicks during the first eight days on eggs 
jjoiled hard and minced ; during the sec- 
ond Aveek he adds to this bread-crumbs, 
chopped with parsley and onions; during 
the third week he keeps back the eggs, and 
only continues the bread and the veg- 
etables ; afterv,'ard, instead of the bread, 
he gives moistened meal, boiled peas, and 
above all, millet, of which young turkej's 
sKe very fond. 

O. Jiroh-en !?{/</.— What can be done with a 
tni'key hen that has had a broken egg in her 
over a month? She appears quiet and well. 
tJave her castor oil but it did not relieve her. 

Keep her on straw, and give her rest. 
Oil the parts and feed a tablespoon of lin- 
seed meal daily. 



can get these they require but little other 
food but they should be fed a little grain 
at night so they will be sure to return home 
to roost. Fifty or more can be raised on 
most farms each year without ever miss- 
ing what it takes to keep them and at 
Thanksgiving they will bring enough 
ready cash to buy the winter clothing for 
an ordinary family, or they will pay a 
year's taxes on a farm. 

1'i. TSi'.sf, Jarief;/ for f!u' F((i' in. —W\ia[ 
breed of turkeys would you atlvise the farnioi' 
to keep ? 

There are several varieties or breeds of 
domesticated turkeys, but we would place 
the Bronze at the head of the list as they 
are by far the largest and easiest to raise. 
If the farmer will raise the pure bred of 
whatever breed he keeps, he can readily 
sell a part of his fiock • at an advance 
over market price. We have no hesi- 
tation in saying that gobblers of the im- 
proved Mammoth Bronze breed could be 
made to weigh when full grown 40 to 45 
pounds and hens 22 to 25 pounds each. 



10. IVhite-ISronse Tm-hs. — I put a set- 
ting of Bronze turkey eggs untler a hen and 
they are hatching to-day and two of the young 
turkeys are white or ci'eam colored, which I do 
not understand. • 

We cannot say that the two coming 

white or cream color are mongrels or that 

their parents were mixed. We have heard 

that some strains of Bronze turkeys have 

thi'own pure white sports that grow to be 

as larsfe as the other ones. 



11. Turh-eys for Farmers. — Can farmers 
do much at raising turkeys? 

No one can succeed better with turkeys 

than the farmer if he will bestow upon 

them a fraction of the care he gives his 

sheep and cattle. Confinement does not 

suit them, but give them the run of the 

farm while they do no damage to the 

growing crops they do them much good 

by their destruction of ' insects, more 

especially grasshoppers, that frequently 

destroy whole fields of grain. When they 



13. Preparing Turhoys for Mnrlcet.— 

Give the correct method of preparing turkeys 
for market? 

In marketing turkeys always have them 
dressed, and be sure that they have been 
picked when dry. The feathers should 
be removed while the bird is bleeding, and 
the drawing done inSmediately afterwards. 
The wings should be cut off and the neck 
bone where the head has been removed so 
cut that the skin can be readily drawn 
over it. The neck is then thoroughly 
washed from blood and wiped dry, after 
which the skin is tied and trimmed. The 
remaining work should be done with neat- 
ness and thoroughness. Thoughtfulness 
and good care should be:'^ exercised from 
the first, that the skin be preserved well. 
This gives the young birds a finished ap- 
pearance and they will command the best 
prices. Boxes should be used for pack- 
ing, and some believe it profitable to have 
them made to order. They should hold 
150 to 200 pounds each and the birds 



54 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



should be packed without using paper. 
St)rt them carefully, placing the larger and 
smaller birils in separate bo.xes. No mix- 
lure of qualities should go in <me box. 
Pack the birds closely when thoroughly 
cold. They should not shake when the 
cover is nailed down. 



14. I'\itteiiiu{/. — What should be fed to 
latleii turkeys? 

In fattening turkeys for market, wheal 
and barley grain and barley meal are 
good, but do not use brewer's grain. It 
has a tendency to make the meat oily. 



li>. Staniiard J'tirirfics. — How many 
varieties does the '•Standard" recOKTiizeV 

Six breeds. The l^ronze, White, Black, 
I'uff, Slate and Naragansett. 



Hi. Jif.^t «.v Jfivvf/M'.s.— At what age should 
breeders be .sek^eted? 

Do not breed from a yearling gobbler if 
it can be avoided. Hens should be two 
years old. 



17. Wi-ifilit of lironr^<'n,—\\\YAl sliould 
J^ronze turkeys weigh? 

Males at six months of age weigh from 
1 8 to 22 pounds. Females H) to 14 pounds. 
Mature males 30 to 40 pounds; females 18 
to 22 pounds. 

IH. Whitf 7/o//(f»</s.— Are these a good 
variety to Ijreed? 

• Yes. They rank in weight next to the 
P>ronze. They are a good market l)reed. 



10. Mittiu!/.— When should turkeys be 
mated? 

Not lat-er than the iniddle of January. 

yO. Nmnber for S^-ttiuf/.— How many 
eggs shoukl be jtUiced under a turkey hen? 

A good-sized bird will cover 20 eggs. 



21. Hoir Oftfu to feed Turku.— \lo\i 
often shouki young turkeys be fed? 

As often as five or six times a day un- 
til three months old. After that two meals 
a day; give cracked corn, wheat, oats, 
but no whole corn until cold weather. 



22. Trentnieiif of CliiUeil Tinhs — How 

may turks ehiUed Ijy rain be warmed? 

Put them in' warm water all but their 
heads until warmed, then wrap them up 
and dry them thoroughly l)y the fire. 

GEESE. 

I. Oeese as Jjtn/er.'i. — Wliicli kind iii'e the 
mt)st prolific layers? How many eggs will one 
lay the first year? How many the second? At 



what age will they lay the most, and how many 
will they lay that year? 

We do not believe there is much differ- 
ence in the laying qualities of the several 
breeds. Twenty eggs are a fair average 
the first year after maturity; but after that 
it may reach forty, as age makes but little 
difference after the second year. 



2. For Feathers and 3f<fr7cef.— Whieh 
are the t)est for feathers, aJidhow much will one 
J ield in a year? Which are the best for market 
and what is their "Standard" size? 

The best breed ft^r feathers is the Emb- 
den, they being entirely while; but the 
Toulouse yield the heaviest. The quantity 
ranges from one-half to a pound a ,year. 
The best for market is a cross of a Tou- 
louse gander with an Embden goose. 
Both breeds attain, at times, the weight of 
from twenty to twenty-five pounds per 
single bird. 



3 Water JVer^'.s-.sv/ *•//.— Is a pond or 
stream of water a necessity in keeping geese, or 
will enough water to drink, supplied daily, be 
surtieient; and how far would it be advisable to 
let them run to a pond or stream? 

Geese^do best on a pond or stream, and 
will wander to great distances. They do 
not thrive if denied a body of water in 
which to enjoy themselves. 



4. Fi/g Prod net inn. — What is the t)est 
food for geese for egg production? 

The best food is a variety of grain and 
green stuff. They are very fond of foraging. 



■H. Geese to a Gander.— How many geese 
should be allowed to run with one gander? 

Geese pair if sexes are equal, and itis best 
to have an equal number of both sexes; but 
four females may be allowed with a gander. 



tl. Food for Go.-ilinffs. — What is the best 
food for yomig goslings? 

At first give boiled oat meal, mixed 
with chopped onions. After they are a 
few days old feed anything they will eat. 



7. Cost of Iiai.si)i(f.— How much does it 
cost to raise a goose to maturity? 

To keep a goose confined, and the food 
bought, the cost may be anywhere from 
$1 to I3: but if at liberty the cost need not 
be more than twenty-five cents. 



.V. Jlens as jVo^Aci-.s-. — Is it belter to hatch 
their eggs out nud«r a hen, or to let them hatch 
and raise their own young? 

It is best to allow the eggs to be hatched 
under geese, as they are the natural 



Five Hundked Questions and Answers. 



55 



iiKilhers. Hens do nol always succeed in 
[latching sreese eg"s. 



.♦>. To tell t/ii- Si:v.-Ra\Y cun I tell the sex 
of geese? 

The femal,e has a coarse voice, while 
that of the male is fine. The male is 
heavier on the neck, and more masculine 
in appearance. 



lO. M/Hti to Set Geiuse.—What is the 
proper time for setting geese? 

Geese should always be set as early as 
possible; the earlier the better. If they 
are out in May it saves trouble and ex- 
pense; it also insures succes. Both geese 
and turkeys have often second hatches, 
which make good table birds, but they are 
not good for breeders. It may be laid 
down as a rule — table birds may l)e hatch- 
' cd at any time, but breeders should be 
those which are hatched early and have 
everything in their favor. 



//. Wlien to I'ick (ri->'.sc. — How many 
times a. year can geese be picked, andliovv many 
will yield a pound of feathers at a picking? 

Oeese can be plucked when the feathers 
are ripe, that is, when there is no blood in 
them. This can be told by examination 
only. If a plucked feather shows blood 
the feathers are green and must be left 
awhile longer. The number of times of 
l)lucking depend upon the condition and 
feeding of the flock. If well cared for 
they can be plucked three, and sometimes 
four, times a year. A pair of Toulouse 
geese are credited with yielding a pound 
of feathers, worth two dollars, in a year. 



/v. <lotili/i(/s. — Wiien should tliey Ix; al- 
lowed to go in water? 

Not until three weeks old. They are 
easy i)rey to minks, uiuskrats and snakes. 

i.V. 77/f Toulouse. -Is tlie Toulouse the 
largest breed? 

Yes, largest of all. It sometimes weighs 
over 30 pcnmds. Color, dark green on 
back; light green on belly. 



14. The ICtnhden. — Give brief description 
of tlie Einbden? 

Large, nearly as heavy as the Toulouse. 
Plumage pure white. 



l.T. Vosnihle projits on Toulouse. — What 
returns should one get from a jjair of Toulouse? 

Feathers, $2.00 worth; 30 eggs; 10 gos- 
lings, made to weigh 20 pounds apiece at 
Christmas, is a fair estimate. 



DUCKS. 

1. About 7?</f/.s.— How old are ducks before 
they begin to lay eggs, witli good care? How 
long is it profitable to keep old ducks, or rather 
after they are one year old? Can you keep 
them up to tlie Standard, by selecting from 
your earliest birds where you would have per- 
haps ItK) to select from? How many eggs do 
they lay in a year. 

Some begin when six months old. For 
five years, with care, or longer. Yes. 
About 150. 

2. Young Tiuck.s Eiif/H. — Do duck eggs 
hatch as soon as ducks first lay. 

It depends on their coiulition. Some- 
times when ducks are very young, their 
eggs are not perfect. 

.3. Ttuuip Ouurtrf.f. — Several of my Pekin 
ducks suddenly, aud without any apparent 
cause, became lame in the back, were unable to 
walk or stand; would not eat; after a day or 
two legs became stitt" and cold; lingered several 
days l)efore dj'ing? 

Probably due to damp quarters at night. 
Ducks should have dry sleeping tjuarters. 



4. Jfeut, Muter, ef^c— Which is best for 
young ducks, top heat, witli cold floor, or bot> 
torn heat. If the laying stock have access to 
river will they do b(;'tter, the eggs lie more fertile, 
and ducklings stronger, than if they are yarded, 
with only water to drink? 

Top heat is better. The ducks will 
thrive better on the water but it will be 
more difficult to secure the eggs. 



a. Cholera. lioujt uu<l (iupes. — Are ducks 
lialjle to cliolera, roup or gapes? 

They are exempt from each. 



6. Nunieroua Oiterie.t. — I have twenty 
two Pekin ducks The eggs came from tliree 
different iilaces^nine di-akes and tliirteen ducks. 
How iiiany drakes will it take for those ducks? 
(;)ught they to be kept togetlier? Or should the 
different kinds be kept separate? How- should 
they l)e fetl to lay early? Do they keep young 
ducks in Ijrooders the same as the.y do chickens? 

Six drakes to one duck is sufficient. 
They may be kept together, but drakes 
should not be related to females. Feed on 
steamed chopped hay, cooked potatoes, 
with some animal food, such as ground 
meat. Young ducks are raised in brood- 
ers the same as chicks. 



7. White J{i7/,s.— Are the Pekin ducks 
liable to white bills? I bought a sitting of 
Pekin duck eggs, from a high class pcniltry 
dealer last year, but I find in young rtncklings, 
that some of their bills are wlut«, while others 
are all right. How is this? 

The Pekin should have a deep yellow 
bill. Your birds seem to have a dash of 
Aylesbury blood in thctn. 



5f' 



Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 



S. l<\;f<liii.;/, etc—WcHild like in formation 
on following (jiiestions: Hf)w to fcody What 
to fcftlr Wlial kind of a house should they 
liavf? Wliat lime should they coumieiiee to layy 

(jive cooked potatoes with chopped hay, 
(scalded) and ground meat, twice a day. 
Feed all they will eat. A warm house 
with a dry floor. About February they 
should lav. 



!). J.rij H'rakucss. — One of my ducks is 
hune. It sits down almost all tlie time, but 
vv'h(!n it lioes get upon its feet it is all right. 

The duck is probably weak legged from 
insufficient muscle-forming food. Rub 
the legs well up to the body with a good 
liniment, and feed oatmeal to strengthen 
the muscles. 



/O. Aboitt Drakes. — By care and proper 
fee<l, cannot Pekin du(tks be induced to lay 
earMer than January. In a Hock oontainiiig 
several drakes will there be any disagreeiaeut 
among them,oi' will they live together amicably, 
flow many ducks to each drake? 

It depends on when they were hatched. 
Warmth of quarters has much t(3 do with 
it. In your climate they should lay very 
early. They usually agree very well. 
Five is about the right number. 



11. PirJciny for 3Iarl!ef, etc. — How 

should ducks be picked for market:' Can they 
be made to weigh from eight to ten pounds 
when they are twelve weeks oldv What do they 
generally bring per pound in the months of 
September and October. 

They should be dry picked. Yes, per pair, 
not singly. In September young ducks 
bring about fifteen cents per pound. 



l',i, I'lire Hlood. — How long may drakes 
mm with ducks before they must hn changed to 
keep blood pure? 

About three weeks. 

IS. ISf/f/.f Don't Ilntc}!.— I want to know 
•why my duck eggs did not hatch good. I keep 
from 102 to 104 in an incubator and give them 
plenty of moistui'e? 

Perhaps you gave too much moisture. 
Duck eggs require but little moisture at 
first. No more at anv unie than hens' eggs. 



14. Weinhf o; J\lchis. What is the 
average weight ot Pekin ducks? 

If all the ducks in a flock reach seven 
pounds each it will be a good one. No 
weights are specified. 

13. J^ckhis «/»■ White Miisrovics.—WiW 
you please tell me how I can tell the difi'orencc 
in Pekin Ducks and White Muscovy Ducks? 

Pekin is white, with yelknv bills and 
legs. White Muscovy has flesh-colored 
bills, light yellow legs, very red face, 
which has caruncles of a reddish color. 



m. Turnips for J>««7.:.s. - Are turnip- 
good for ducks? 

Grow a crop of turnips for ducks, i 
you intend to raise a large number. On 
the large establishments, where hundreds 
of ducks, are raised, a principal food for 
them is cooked turnips, with a small pro 
portion of ground grain. No crop cat 
be grown to better advantage than tur 
nips, and in no way can turnips be growi 
so profitably as to feed them to ducks 



17. I'ekin Duclc.s us Daycr.s. — ArePekin 
good layers? 

The Pekins will often begin to la; 
when they are six months old, but for nex: 
year the layers should be from duckling; 
hatched in April, or the old ducks shoult' 
be retained. It is better to use ok' 
females with young drakes, if fertile egg; 
are desired early in the season next year 
Pekins grow very fast and mature early. 
When they begin to lay, they produce a 
large number of eggs before they cease. ^ 



IS. J'^ood for Diicklinff.'i. -What is tht 

best food for youug Pekin (hickliugs when first 
hatched? When they are very young is it best 
for them to have water to swim in, or oulj 
enough to drink ? * 

Feed the same as to little chicks. Feed 
nothing for twenty-four hours, then bread 
crumbs moistened with milk (or water), 
corn bread soaked in milk (but squeezed 
nearly dry) is excellent, also corn meal 
pudding. Keep the feed dishes clean and 
sweet by removing all uneaten food ten 
minutes after they have been fed ; othet- 
wise it will sour and then — good-bye duck- 
lings. Ducklings require a great Seal of 
green food, and grit should be supplied 
them. Give them water to drink, only. 
The most successful duck-raisers never let 
their ducks swim. 



l!>. Cai/tigas.— Describe the C&yug& duck? 

The weight of Cayuga ducks is from six 
to eight pounds when in prime condition. 
Good judges pronounce their flesh savory 
and sweet and equal to the other large 
varieties in this respect. The plumage of 
the drake is rich and glossy when exposed 
to the sun, bringing out the metallic lustre 
of green, with a blending of purple, on 
the back and wings. The head is small 
and slender; eyes dark hazel; bill black, or 
dark color; back U>ng and broad; breast 
full and deep; body long, round and 
plump; wings long; tail feathers hard and 
stiff, With the characteristic curl belong- 
ing to all of the Mallard species; shanks 
black or dark^ slate black preferred. 



wr uwiMijKtbb 



002 866821 



